Creating Stereoscopic 3-D Images of Small Specimens Using a Desktop Scanner: Workshop with Stereoscopic 3-D Artist Gerald Marks, This Saturday, January 5

This Saturday! Students are invited to use objects from the Morbid Anatomy Library for scanning. If interested in attending this class, please email morbidanatomy[at]gmail.com.

Creating Stereoscopic 3-D Images of Small Specimens Using a Desktop Scanner:
Workshop with Stereoscopic 3-D Artist Gerald Marks
Date: Saturday, January 5, 2013
Time: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM with a short lunch break
Fee: $60
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
*** Class size is limited to 16; please RSVP to morbidanatomy[at]gmail.com

In this workshop class you will learn to produce high-quality stereoscopic images of small objects, using a conventional desktop scanner. Everyone in the class can expect to leave with at least one 3-D picture, ready to post on a the web, email, or include in digital slide show, and the knowledge of how to do the process. With this technique, quite a bit of magnification is possible, almost rivaling microscope work.

After scanning, we will work with the images in Adobe Photoshop, using the same basic approach that the instructor has developed for Stereoscopic 3-D images in general, so you will be learning a professional technique for working with 3-D image pairs.
We will primarily view and work with our 3-D images using traditional Anaglyph Red/Blue 3-D glasses but we can output our scan work to any 3-D viewing system, including all types of 3-D projection and 3-D Television. 3-D glasses will be provided.
We will be scanning the objects on a conventional desktop scanners, such as the Epson Perfection series, and working with the scans on a laptop, using Adobe Photoshop (any version). All of the computer work on the instructor's laptop will be projected large, and in 3-D, so that it will be easy to follow.

Bring to Class
The primary thing to bring to class is the object you wish to scan. Almost anything in your collection from about .25" to about 6" wide should work, as long as it holds together. (Slime, for example, doesn't hold together) Natural or man-made objects, such as coins or medals work great. Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral are all OK, as long as it will hold still for at least two exposures. Bring additional objects as some things scan better than others and there may be time to scan more.

Bring a flash drive, or a blank CD, to put your scans on and take home

You may bring your own laptop, with Photoshop installed, but it is not required. Bring your own scanner, too, if you like (When transporting a scanner, remember to "lock" the scanner head!)

Gerald Marks is an artist working along the border of art and science, specializing in stereoscopic 3-D since 1973. He may be best known for the 3-D videos he directed for The Rolling Stones during their Steel Wheels tour. He has taught at The Cooper Union, The New School for Social Research, and the School of Visual Arts, where he currently teaches Stereoscopic 3-D within the MFA program in Computer Art. He was artist in residence at San Francisco's Exploratorium and a Visiting Scholar at the MIT Media Lab, where he worked with computer-generated holography. His Professor Pulfrich's Universe installations are popular features in museums all over the world, including the Exploratorium, The N. Y. Hall of Science, and Sony ExploraScience in Beijing & Tokyo. He has done 3-D consulting, lecturing & design for scientific purposes for The American Museum of Natural History, the National Institutes of Health, and Discover Magazine. He has created a large variety of 3-D artwork for advertising, display, and pharmaceutical use, as well as broadcast organizations Fox and MTV. He has designed award winning projections and sets at the N.Y. Public Theater, SOHO Rep, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center and the Nashville Ballet, where he created stereoscopically projected sets. He created the 3-D mural in the 28th Street station of the #6 train in New York City’s subway. He did 3-D imaging of dance around the New York shoreline as part of an iLAB grant from the iLAND Foundation for using the arts to raise environmental consciousness.

More here.

"Diableries” (or “Devilment”) Stereo Views, 19th Century

Some of you might recall my recent desperate search for hi-resolution images of “Diableries” (or “Devilment”) 19th century 3D stereo views. Morbid Anatomy reader Corey Schjoth kindly obliged, sending me the photographs you see above, demonstrating both front- and back-lit views of a particularly wonderful card.

Corey is also a photographer of haunted places; you can find out more about he and his work by clicking here, and check out his Etsy shop by clicking here.

I highly recommend clicking on the image to see larger, finer versions. And if you want to know more about these enigmatic and fantastic Diableries, you could do worse than to watch the Midnight Archive featurette on the topic by clicking here. Also, stay tuned for a heavily-illustrated article about "Diableries” in the upcoming Morbid Anatomy Anthology! More on that here.

The Moon in 3D! Absinthe-Drenched Lunar-Themed Fund Raiser! Tomorrow and Saturday at Observatory

Hope to see you at our lunar themed Observatory double header tomorrow and Saturday night! Full details follow.

The Moon and Its Closest Associates: A 3-D Slideshow with 3-D Legend Gerald Marks
Date: Friday, February 17
Time: 8:00
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

The Moon and its relationship to our earth has been a prominent feature in the work of artist Gerald Marks for the past four decades. Tonight, join this 3-D legend and former San Francisco Exploratorium artist in residence for an all 3-D ode to our dear satellite. Some of the images premiered at Marks' 2000 presentation at the American Museum of Natural history as part of their "Rockets in Sprockets" festival, honoring the first anniversary of the new Rose Center for Earth & Space. Also included will be Marks’ panoramic 3-D images of New York City, taken during the January 2001 Lunar Eclipse, from the top of the World Trade Center.

Gerald Marks is an artist working along the border of art and science, specializing in stereoscopic 3-D since 1973. He may be best known for the 3-D videos he directed for The Rolling Stones during their Steel Wheels tour. He has taught at The Cooper Union, The New School for Social Research, and the School of Visual Arts, where he currently teaches Stereoscopic 3-D within the MFA program in Computer Art. He was artist in residence at San Francisco's Exploratorium and a Visiting Scholar at the MIT Media Lab, where he worked with computer-generated holography. His Professor Pulfrich's Universe installations are popular features in museums all over the world, including the Exploratorium, The N. Y. Hall of Science, and Sony ExploraScience in Beijing & Tokyo. He has done 3-D consulting, lecturing & design for scientific purposes for The American Museum of Natural History, the National Institutes of Health, and Discover Magazine. He has created a large variety of 3-D artwork for advertising, display, and pharmaceutical use, as well as broadcast organizations Fox and MTV. He has designed award winning projections and sets at the N.Y. Public Theater, SOHO Rep, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center and the Nashville Ballet, where he created stereoscopically projected sets. He created the 3-D mural in the 28th Street station of the #6 train in New York City’s subway. He did 3-D imaging of dance around the New York shoreline as part of an iLAB grant from the iLAND Foundation for using the arts to raise environmental consciousness.

Image: "Moon Viewing," from the series "Artistic, Aesthetic and Poetic Tastes of the Japanese," by Gerald Marks, as featured in our current Lunation exhibition. Put on 3-D glasses for full experience.

Observatory's Lunar-Themed 3rd Anniversary Fundraiser Party
Yes, friends, we're over the moon about our 3rd Anniversary! Come celebrate with us, and help support your favorite interdisciplinarian art, science, & occult event space.
Date: Saturday, February 18th
Time: 8pm
Admission: $20

Check out our art show, Lunation: Art on the Moon, and then trip out to a Moon Phantasmagoria show by VJ Fuzzy Bastard. We'll also be screening episodes from the Midnight Archive, a show featuring your favorite Observatory masterminds.

Libations will be provided courtesy of La Fée Absinthe.

There will also be:

The luminous MC Lord Whimsy!

Stellar giveaways courtesy of Kikkerland!

Out-of-this-world raffle prizes, including:

Gift certificates from the scrumptious SweetWolf's and the delectable Palo Santo!

Moonrise Perfume from Herbal Alchemy!

30 Minute Divination Session with Kathy Biehl - Tarot or Astrology - your choice!

Audiobooks from Hachette!

Occult Book Set including an autographed copy of Mitch Horowitz's Occult America (Bantam), and Manly P. Hall's The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Tarcher/Penguin)!

Abraxas International Journal of Esoteric Studies with accompanying occult music CD!

Lunavision Ritual Tea Set from Rebis Remedies!

And so! much! more! We look forward to seeing you there.

You can find out more here.

3D Victorian Horror: The Diableries; Eposode 10 of The Midnight Archive

A new episode of The Midnight Archive--the web-based documentary series centered around Observatory--has just been uploaded and can be viewed above. In this episode we learn about--and view in graphic and gorgeous detail!--the Diableries, Victorian hand-colored stereo views depicting daily life in hell and peopled with skeletons, lovely ladies, and the devil himself, and in infernal colors and glorious 3D.

The creator of The Midnight Archive--Film-maker and many-time Observatory lecturer Ronni Thomas--says about this episode:

This episode brings this whole series and experience full circle. In a lot of ways, the topic here--‘Death and Devils in 3D’--is what brought me to this even bigger world. A few years back, I’d given my first ‘lecture’ at Observatory at the request of my friend Joanna. Assuming nobody would show up, I agreed and was promptly shocked and inspired by just how amazing the turnout had been. All to see my collection of 19th century 3D devil tissues... And more than that--the crowd was a delightful mixed bag. From Mensa to Princeton to the street punks and dregs, from the curious to the satanic... Truly inspiring. And so here is my own entry into the archive--please be kind--I hate being on camera but, what the “Hell”... I’m particularly proud of the way we treated the slides. The idea was to give more of the 3D/color effect to the Diableries than simple scans would give you. My ultimate dream is to film the entire series in 3D and set it to music (wink wink at the Real Tuesday Weld)--kept it brief and informal--I am aware of a very comprehensive book currently in the works on the series being done in part by Brian May (Queen’s guitar player and avid stereoscopic fan) so keep your eyes opened! Enjoy!

For more on the series, to see former episodes, or to sign up for the mailing list and thus be alerted to future uploads, visit The Midnight Archive website by clicking here. You can also "like" it on Facebook--and be alerted in this way--by clicking here. You can find out more about Observatory by clicking here. You can find out more about Roni Thomas by clicking here.