We headed over the water to Arnolfini for this special lunchtime talk co-produced with our friends at Encounters Festival. We joined Stuart Warren-Hill and Hugo Stanbury for a live demonstration of their innovative Holo-Gauze, an award-winning 3D hologram effect screen. Steve spoke about their journey, and gave us a glimpse into Holo-Gauze's potential use for other artists. 

Five Things I Learned:

1. Stuart Warren-Hill has been pushing the boundaries of electronic music and audio-visuals since the 1990s. Stuart and Hugo first launched Holo-Gauze in September 2014, the innovative screen was the result of Stuart wanting to create 3D Holograms without the hassle and expense of using a technique like Pepper’s Ghost.

2. Holo-Gauze has since been used for a myriad of different purposes, including creating visually interesting settings for game shows, providing stunning backdrops for artists like Lady Gaga at the Grammys, creating multiple Beyoncés and engulfing DJ Eric Prydz in awe-inspiring ring of particle visual effects. Hugo is interested in how Holo-Gauze could potentially be used for digital installations in the future. 

3. Setting up Holo-Gauze is relatively quick and simple. The angle of the projector is important, as is the surrounding stage lighting. Unless the projector is at a certain angle, it will create a secondary projection on the back of the stage. Lighting is crucial in order for the imagery to appear 3D; the stage needs to be back lit in order to create a sense of depth, as a completely blacked-out stage would flatten the visuals. This also means it needs to dark if used outdoors.

4. Holo-Gauze is the most transparent mesh of its kind, in fact even musicians and performers have accidently walked into it on stage! Interestingly this super transparent mesh was the by-product of Stuart wanting a screen that could handle stereoscopic projections. Holo-Gauze retains polarization of light to work with 3D stereoscopic video projection and passive 3D glasses. Anything black that is projected will be transparent, meaning you can film anything on a black background, from a car to a ballerina and it will look like a hologram floating in mid-air. Computer generated imagery and visual effects can be created and projected with a transparent background. 

5. The portability of Holo-Gauze is a huge advantage, it’s perfect for touring as it is made out of a material, it is very accessible to the entertainment industry. Another allowance that the material affords is the ability to use it with a circular truss, creating a 360 surface to project onto. Currently Holo-Gauze is predominantly for indoor use, but Stuart is developing Holo-Gauze XL which is made to be much more durable. The gauze can be stitched together to make even bigger screens.