Solid Light by Jadikan

A few years ago I met Jadikan at an art show, we were talking about light painting when he pulled me into a back room to show me a secret project he was working on. Jadikan showed me this ancient looking contraption that was like a wooden version of a Viewmaster toy I had when I was a kid. This old contraption turned out to be a stereoscopic viewer! When I looked inside I saw my first ever analog 3D light painting! Of corse I immediately started running away to try and steal it but he caught me so I had to give it back. A Stereoscopic viewer holds an image known as a stereogram. Basically how it all works is you shoot two images of the exact same scene that are at a slightly different angle from one another, when you put them side by side in the viewer your brain turns the two images into one image with extreme depth.

A 3D light painting was a very exciting thing to see for the first time and I wanted to learn more so I asked a bunch of questions, Jadikan was rightfully quiet about the project and just showed me enough to make my mind race. Now thanks to the SOLID-LIGHT Project I have the answers to all those questions that raced in my mind some 3 years ago. Check out the images, interview, and video below.

LPP ∇ I’m sooooo excited to see this project ready for release, tell me what is behind the Solid-Light Project and who is involved?
JLP ∇ The Solid Light Project’s purpose is: To promote 3D pictures/content with an original stereoviewer.
Behind the “Solid One”‘s step, The Light Painting Photography was created by myself and photographer JF Delamarre, the website was made by another friend and the viewer is from me (using laser cutting machine in a Fab Lab)

LPP ∇ Where the idea come from ?
JLP ∇ I have been interested in stereo photography since I discover it. My first attempt was in 2008, when I had a second digital camera available for the first time. A few months later, I met a guy who was practicing stereo photography with an old film camera on medium format.

LPP ∇ Shooting stereoscopic film has to be pretty difficult? How does that work?
JLP ∇ You have to cut the film and display it correctly between 2 pieces of thin glass to be insert in an old steroviewer.
Not an easy job but when you see inside the viewer, it is just amazing how the depth and the detail jump out at your eyes on the 120 inversible film with magnifying glasses.

LPP ∇ What kind of camera are you shooting with?
JLP ∇ So we started to shoot together with his “Stereflektoskop” from the 30’s. From 2009 to 2014, we have learned a lot about 3D pictures and shot rolls and rolls of film (always invertible) at the same time, I found a few other medium format cameras in specialised shops on the internet.

LPP ∇ How did the project progress into what we see now in the Solid-Light Project?
JLP ∇ As I was started to understand the full process of stereophotography, I wanted to find a way to share thoses 3D works at exhibitions.
Using prints or screens instead of the original film will allow to show easily in different places without the original.
I experimented with different viewers on the market, built a few others by hand and I finally discovered a way to reach my goal of a personal reproducible stereo viewer when I found The Fab Lab network!
Fab Labs are a fair sharing place for computer controlled machines. (laser cutting, 3D printing …)
I went to the closest Fab LAB to start designing a Stereoviewer. It took a few months with different versions to finally present Solid One in a kit – for prints or for using with a smartphone (compatible size).

LPP ∇ How does it work if someone wants to make their own viewer?
JLP ∇ I made the plans available for people want to make their own.
People have 2 choices: Download the .dxf file and use a laser cutting machine to do the job (I use a 3mm thick medium wood for the viewer) or download the pdf, print it and cut it from a 3mm foam board for example. The trickiest part is to find the lenses, I did not find reseller for one piece, so send me an email if you need a sample.

LPP ∇ Whats next for this project?
JLP ∇ The next step of Solid Light is not fully determined, but I have in mind to collaborate with a painter artist to make with “his” 3D boxes. (inside/outside/shape) I also want this tool can be used by other photographers/artists who want to show stereo artworks.

LPP ∇ This is one incredible project and I speak for all of us when I say THANK YOU for all of your hard work and especially for making the stereoscopic viewer freely available for all of us! Anything else you would like to ad?
JLP ∇ I think that this was the right time to make the final touches and launch this project because of the “google cardboard” announcement this summer… (check this out if you don’t know about it)
…Solid One is fully compatible with the Virtual Reality content displayed by google ! 😉

For more info on the Solid Light Project check out the video below and website http://www.solid-light.com/en/ stay up to date with all of Jadikans latest projects on his Facebook page HERE!