I saw a question posed, Where did you get the initial idea for your book. I know the exact moment. It was about 1995 and I was at the Art Institute of Chicago. I was standing next to my sister-in-law at the Claude Money exhibit and was in awe of these lovely paintings. She asked me what I thought and I said Wouldnt it be cool if you could swing your leg over, into the frame and be able to just walk inside one of these landscapes. That was the kernel or initial idea that was forming for my novel. I liked the idea of being able to experience a great painting in a 3 dimensional manner. Heres an excerpt based on that basic idea: A room that’s lined with these tiles could then break the light into the visible color spectrum and project it. The biggest part of the puzzle was actually being able to accommodate a person or persons in the room so that they didn’t interfere with the projected images. Once I solved that problem, the room was able to create the seamless effect that one is actually able to walk into a projected painting.” He handed it to her. Noelle looked with interest as she turned over the tile in her hand. “And the nanoparticles are silica? This technology has to be extremely expensive.” “We’ve found a way to spray on the substrate in a uniform, consistent layer. Once we worked out that issue, the price actually fell. I wouldn’t be surprised if this technology eventually finds its way into homes within a decade or two. It would be the ultimate 3-D effect. But it would be years, perhaps decades before the average consumer could afford that. But an institution such as your museum on the other hand. . .” “Could I have a demonstration?” she asked before he could finish. Bruce smiled. To him, Noelle’s curiosity and intelligence were the toppings to her physical attractiveness. Like any man, physical attraction was the all essential spark, but that could only get things so far. He thought he might actually be able to have an intelligent conversation with her. He smiled broadly. “I was hoping you’d ask.“ Bruce later arranged for a smaller presentation off site with Noelle. He met her at his company’s laboratory. Her footsteps echoed throughout the large warehouse sized building while Bruce was sitting, waiting at his computer console. He rushed from his chair, obviously pleased to see her. He pointed and then escorted her to the small demonstration booth. “It’s actually quite small, so you’ll have to forgive the cramped quarters, but it should be enough to give you an idea of what this experience would be like.” The prototype was the size of a walk-in shed. Bruce motioned her to enter first. It was cramped, so they had to stand uncomfortably close together. Noelle was unaware that he was relishing the scent of her hair as he stood slightly behind her. After an awkward silence that only Bruce was aware of, he spoke up. “While the demonstration is going, you will be tempted to walk around because the tiles will create the illusion of vast space. Don’t. You’ll smack into a wall and embarrass yourself.” Noelle chuckled and turned to him, “Gee, thanks for the head‘s up.” Only when she looked back at Bruce as he was looking at her lips did she suspect he was attracted to her. Bruce caught himself, stepped back too far, and bumped the wall with his shoulder on the edge of a tile. Quick to recover, Bruce continued nervously, “I was thinking you’ll like to see something from Monet. I downloaded one of his paintings of the Japanese Foot Bridge.” “Yeah, I think I’d like that,” she nodded. “It’s getting a little claustrophobic in here. So, I’ll set the system to let you view for about five minutes. Sound good?” She smiled, “Sounds great.” The room dimmed as Bruce closed the door behind him. She could no longer hear his movements after he closed the booth. She was glad she didn’t suffer from claustrophobia, but the small, dark space was a little unsettling for a brief moment. Noelle waited in the darkened enclosure until suddenly the lights slowly ramped up into a wild kaleidoscope of color that finally jelled into the gardenscape with a draw bridge and lily pads. She felt as if she was there amidst that garden. She leaned forward to look at the foliage, and actually saw the textured brushstrokes of the artist in minute detail. Noelle put her hand forward, and touched the wall. That momentarily diminished the illusion, but as soon as she withdrew her hand, it was restored. Bruce’s voice piped in a comic, robotic manner, “Do not touch the wall young lady.“ She chuckled and thought, ’Yes, this definitely would work well at the museum.’ Bruce smiled sadly as he thought about their first meetings. He walked up the stairs to the other Projection Room. Thinking about this just reminded him that he was a widower and lonely man. He hoped throwing himself into his work again would lessen that reality, but he doubted it. Excerpt from Chapter 10 The Projection Room: Two from the Cubist Mist
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 02:58:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015