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TITLE: High end flatbed scanner rebuild and experimentation
MENTOR:
Maria Lantin and Alexandra Hass, Intersections Digital Studios
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
MENTOR contact:
mlantin@eciad.ca
alex@alexandrahass.com
OVERVIEW:
Alexandra Hass, a Masters student at ECU, has been working with 2D flatbed scanners to
scan flower materials. The focus of the research is on how the scanner perceives the material it
is given under different conditions (medium, lighting, scaling) and with different kinds of
materials. Over the summer Alex has experimented with an Epson Perfection consumer end
scanner. This project will take apart an older but higher end scanner to further experiment with
the scanning mechanism as it relates to extreme depth of field and other optical effects (lens
aberration, striations, etc.) specific to the scanner. The images that result from these scans will
be composed into an immersive circular printed space, complimented with a dynamic
visualization accentuating the scanner specific visual elements using animation techniques.
PROJECT or Industry Area GOALS:
- Dismantling an almost perfect scanner to see what else it can do.
- Programming a dismantled scanner to create experimental scans of plant material.
- Creating a dynamic visualization of remixed scanned plants.
PROJECT or Company DESCRIPTION:
The exact project description will be determined in collaboration with Alex Hass, Maria
Lantin and the student.
IMAGE[s]:
These 4 images were created using the Epson scanner under different conditions. The last 2
pictures highlight some of the more obvious scanner aberrations.
DELIVERABLES:
- A series of images scanned flowers produced from a reworked scanner.
- A dynamic visualization of the fragmented plant material accentuating scanner effects.
SKILLS REQUIRED:
- Ability to tinker with hardware
- Aptitude at creating drivers or altering existing drivers for older equipment.
- Programming experience in lower level languages
- Programming experience with Processing, Max/MSP or other similar image manipulation
software.