Z

Holographic Etch-a-sketch • 2022

What if the etch-a-sketch had a third dimension? And what if it could be embedded into our reality?

Background

The concept of this project emerged during grad school as I simultaneously built Crayon Mobile, learned how to weld large steel beams and solder tiny electronics. At the time, I had been artistically exploring themes of entertainment, creative expression, and their evolution over time— the shifts from tactile grip to surface touch and from analog toy to digital game, as well as the ever-dominating presence of screens across all of daily life. Having been diving deep into mobile AR for Crayon, I became obsessed with building a screen-less AR drawing experience.

The inspiration for this project emerged during grad school as I simultaneously learned how to weld large steel beams and solder tiny electronics. As an artist, I had been exploring themes of entertainment, creative expression, and how they evolved over time. The shifts from tactile grip to surface touch, from xxxxx. I was walking through the Walmart toy section, as I often did for and noticed that etch-a-sketch one day

Inspired by Pepper's Ghost

A 19th Century theater simulation technique using projection and glass to turn reflections into illusion.

Examining the relationship between old and new technology and entertainment devices compelled me me to build a holographic ARcade with a primitive interface and more complex functionality.

Hardware

Arduino Mega
3x Rotary Encoders
3x Slide Potentiometers