OPTICAL

BY FRANKLINTILL

Sci-fi psychedelia is given a modern make over by designers experimenting with optical illusions and prism effects.  Iridescent surfaces, mirrors, holograms and optically processed films are being explored to create hypnotic visual experiences in playful rainbow spectrums.

Designers are translating iridescent effects into synthetic textures, colours and shines.   Jeremy Scott’s latest collection shows a rainbow spectacle looking back to the nineties. Using hologram print, metallics and reflective fabrics to deliver a sci-fi, psychedelic look.

The ‘Meeting' installation conceived by Japanese architect Yo Shimada and designed by Ichiro Hashimoto for the Kobe Biennale comprises of a curtain created from optically processed film in which viewers move in and out continually surrounded by their reflections as they aim to find a way out.

Artist Eric Cahan aims to harness the ethereal qualities of light, creating a series of mirrors featuring a vivid ombré of colour in which he aims to capture the mood of a vivid sunset over the ocean. Similarly inspired by the natural world, artist Shane McAdams Ballpoint Paintings create an alternative altered view of natural and man-made landscapes. His striking psychedelic images are created by applying pen-ink that has been heated and mixed with solvents to paper. He then lets gravity, wind, and other physical forces direct the movement of the ink.

Holographic colour spectrums are recreated in painterly patterns, forging harmonious visual contrast between the natural and synthetic. Fredrik Paulsen experiments with various techniques for coloring wood resulting in beautiful colour-bleed patterns.

The hyper-synthetic colour palette celebrates artifical colours and materials. A spectrum of rainbow brights and iridescent shimmers creates an uplifting effect, creating a contemporary psychedelic aesthetic. Acidic yellows and shocking pinks intensifies and illuminates the prismatic palette.

Colour:
PANTONE 7466 U
GFSmith: Peregrina Majestic Mellow Yellow 120gsm
PANTONE 237 U
GFSmith: Peregrina Majestic Damask Blue 120gsm
PANTONE 3945 U
PANTONE 814 U
GFSmith: Peregrina Majestic Nightclub Purple 120gsm