Bloom
Magic animation of a spinning sculpture
In Short
Our eyes are easy to trick. In the presence of a strobe light, we only see individual moments which our mind connects to a continuous motion, like in a stop-motion movie. We use this effect to create incredible optical illusions of a forever growing bloom.
Our sculptures don’t just look like plants, they are in fact constructed using the same natural laws which govern the formation of their leaves and petals. It once more goes to show the intelligence and beauty that nature is made of. Concept by John Edmark www.johnedmark.com
Details and Theory
Strobe light proves not only useful to create disorientation in nightclubs, but is also used to analyse periodic movements. Every repetitive movement like oscillations, vibrations or rotations can be visually brought to a standstill if the frequency of the light flashes from a stroboscope correspond to the frequency of the movement. If they differ slightly, it seems as though the object is moving very slowly.
To create the illusion, we rotate sculptures that are constructed abiding the rules of the golden ratio around their own axis. The corresponding golden angle 173,5°, which you may know from photography, can be found in many plants. They arrange their leaves according to this angle in order to minimise overlap. Using a strobe, the spinning of our object is visually slowed down, allowing you to see what it would look like for a plant to grow forever.