Friday, April 26, 2013

Specimen Unknown

I'm a sucker for tableau presentations like this one from Leon Liang. There's an entire story happening in this one picture. What makes it particularly notable is that it's all digital. None of these objects actually exist.

I'm still not sure how I feel about it.  Craftsmanship and technique are things I value, but is there really a difference between an artist that shuffles around bits instead of clay?  Given the explosion in 3D printing technology the gap between virtual and real props is rapidly closing.  It's incredibly exciting, but vaguely disquieting at the same time.


9 comments:

Clint said...

As art, its great. No different than a photo of the planned set. But it is not a prop per say.

If you take it as a whole though, I think that it should be included in your collection. Most of us will never get a chance at owning or making some of the wonderful work you show here. All we get it pictures and maybe some links to show us how the work was done. But in the final analysis, this is meant to inspire. Someone someday may make some or all of the objects shown. Someone may take this pic and recolor it and use the pic as a prop itself.

All in all it is good work. If you find more, show it.

R.S. Bohn said...

Well, I'm on board with it as just another kind of art, of creative expression. I can't even put text on pictures, so to me, this is incredible. :) And I'm sure that the artist put in a ton of hours, because the tableau is so fully thought out and incorporates so many details that the eye doesn't know where to stop. As you say, an entire story is in this picture.

Anonymous said...

That's some really nice CG.

Unknown said...

i wold never noticed it! O.o amazing

Unknown said...

i wold never noticed it! O.o amazing

Schlitzie said...

It's all so very cool,but I was a little sad to find out these weren't real physical props,because I would have asked if he did commissions! hehe

Naamah said...

Oh my god! O_O

That is AMAZING.

In the end, it's trading one set of techniques (physical propmaking) for another (CG rendering) in the pursuit of suggesting stories through objects.

The only downside is that one cannot just sit down and go through the items, each by each. When you consider, though, that most of the props I've seen featured on the internet, I've never gotten to handle, the *direct* impact of that on me personally is nil.

This is INCREDIBLE work.

Laura Morrigan said...

They look great, but I wish I could hold them and play with them! It might be all good for movie making, but if I want these things in my home, I want them to be real. Having them on my shelf would be a lot better than a picture on my wall! I like tactile things! Otherwise it's just the same as dreaming it for me.

Unknown said...

As I dabble in both the physical and virtual world, I can tell you that the skillset necessary to create something this complex is comparable to that required for modeling it with actual materials. If the artist originated the models and the surfaces (image files mapped to 3D geometry) they are quite capable of creating this in the real world.