An optical illusion not only tricks the eye, but it also confounds the mind. It’s a double whammy that leaves the viewer in a state-like trance after witnessing something so beautiful, while also feeling perplexed as to how the illusion was created.
John Edmark is an artist, designer, and inventor who uses nature’s language of geometry to create his brilliant kinetic sculptures. All of his work employs precise mathematics that question spatial relationships in nature. He delves deeper into the ordinary, and what meets the eye, into something more extraordinary that makes a statement.
John’s work stems from the Fibonacci Spiral (named after famed Italian mathematician Leonardo Bonacci, aka Fibonacci) – more commonly known as the Golden Ratio, a naturally occurring geometric sequence visible in many aspects of nature from pine cones to seashells.
The video is trance-inducing. From the moment it starts, minimal electronic music is heard, triggering a very zen-like calm state. Cue the bloom that is at first stationary, but starts to spin at a moderate speed. This movement causes each individually carved out petal to become dynamic and look like the 3D printed sculpture is breathing and shapeshifting.
Filmed using a very short shutter speed on the camera, the effect of the animation is achieved by rotating the sculpture. The speed at which the bloom turns is synchronized with the strobe rate, so one flash occurs every time the bloom turns at 137.5 degrees – the angular calculation of the golden ratio. Altogether, the finished product is a truly beautiful masterpiece. I know I could watch it over and over and over again.
Bet you can’t take your eyes off this one. Click below to view this artist’s fascinating work of art.
