this is not a flower

Nov 2023

“this is not a flower” is a reference to “this is not a pipe” in Magritte’s Treachery of Images (1929) - which was groundbreaking because it put forth the idea that painting was just a representation, not reality.

As technology begins to edge out other forms of art as the most culturally dominant means of expression in society, I wanted to put forth the idea that technology art is just a representation, not reality.

This is not a flower, it is merely a collection of pixels. 



“This is not a flower” is a pixelated flower hologram that depixelates when you move close to it. I achieved the hologram effect by using a pepper’s ghost illusion projected on a one-way mirror at 45 degrees. The pixelation logic was made using P5 (Javascript), and was hooked up to a Time of Flight distance sensor to judge proximity to the viewer.