3D: Double VisionSun, July 15, 2018–March 31, 2019
Art of the Americas Building, Level 2
LACMA
Admission to LACMA
Last Sunday, we went to the public opening day of LACMA's new 3D: Double Vision. A new exhibit on the subject of art that gives off the illusion of being 3D. Kids, couples and fans of LACMA came out to see stunning work from all the way back from 1863 to now.
3D: Double Vision take you through the different ages of 3D and explores more than just the pair of red and blue 3D glasses you're given. A number of devices throughout the last 150 years or so have tricked our eyes into seeing things as though they were there in front of us. You don't have to look that far as you've probably watched a 3D movie. But, if you go back, you also might have had a Viewmaster as a kid. We didn't know that before Viewmasters were a toy they were used to help train the army? That and other trivia facts will fascinate you as you"ll be looking all around for the right angle or the right distance with some pieces.
People were just enjoying themselves like they were a century ago. Looking in machines that fans were in awe of at World's Fairs. It was a treat to get the same joy from seeing images from so long ago still impressing us today, much like how much we love getting to play games on our 3DSes.
What really captivated us was a lenticular piece created by Mariko Mori called "A Star is Born". Lenticular art is the same thing you might have had as a kid on stickers and folders of images looking liking there moving, when really it's two images imposed on each other. The piece gave off some pop music from hidden speakers as though the anime like character was posing for us in real time. The piece shows off an anime-esque womenl looking very sci-fi fun.
A modern focus on 3D could have had some art that deals with computer graphics and virtual reality, which was missing from the exhibit. It's kind of a miss for modern 3D. We were a little sad but the lack of it.
We more looked back at Stereoscopy, which has your eyes looking at two different images and then your brain putting them together which fools us into thinking it's 3D. So we had fun looking back at the different devices that would achieve that or would use some sort of other trick. And there are quite a few to try and master with glasses or some other gimmick.
There's a lovely "pointy" wall almost hidden in the back on your way to the water fountain that works well with red and blue 3D glasses that you should try not and miss.
What we saw is playful exhibit that showcases a number of tricks of art that's been with us for quite a while. It's with us now and we have had a lot of ideas on how to use it. You can step back for a second to both see where it came from and to try and get the right angle to see it. It's one you"ll walk through slowly trying to catch a glimpse of how every piece works or look back and say, "This was what 3D use to be?"
