Holographic art as an approach to enhance visual communication in egyptian community

World Academy of Science, Engineering, and Technology (WASET) Excellence in Research and Innovation for Humanity, Special issue: International Journal of humanities and social sciences, Vol: 2, No: 4, 2015. eISSN: 1307-6892 http://iuit.org/member/diaaahmedien

Holographic Art as an Approach to enhance Visual communication in Egyptian community: Experimental Study.

A. Diaa Ahmed Mohamed Ahmedien 

Keywords— Egyptian community, Holographic Art, Laser Art, Abstract—Nowadays, it cannot be denied that the most

important interactive arts trends have appeared as a result of significant scientific mutations in the modern sciences, and holographic art is not an exception, where it is considered as a one of the most important major contemporary interactive arts trends in visual arts. Holographic technique had been evoked through the modern physics application in late 1940s, as an attempt to improve the quality of electron microscope images by Denis Gabor, until it had arrived to Margaret Benyon‟s art exhibitions, and then it passed through a lot of procedures to enhance its quality and artistic applications technically and visually more over 70 years in visual arts. As a modest extension to these great efforts, this research aimed to invoke extraordinary attempt to enroll sample of normal people in Egyptian community in holographic recording program to record their appreciated objects or antiques, therefore examine their abilities to interact with modern techniques in visual communication arts. So this research tried to answer to main three questions: can we use the analog holographic techniques to unleash new theoretical and practical knowledge in interactive arts for public in Egyptian community?, to what extent holographic art can be familiar with public and make them able to produce interactive artistic samples?, are there possibilities to build holographic interactive program for normal people which lead them to enhance their understanding to visual communication in public and, be aware of interactive arts trends? This research was depending in its first part on experimental methods, where it conducted in Laser lab at Cairo University, using Nd:Yag Laser 532 nm, He-Ne laser 632 nm, and holographic optical layout, with selected samples of Egyptian people that they have been asked to record their appreciated object, after they had already learned recording methods, and in its second part on a lot of discussion panel had conducted to discuss the result and how participants felt towards their holographic artistic products through Survey, questionnaires, take notes and critiquing holographic artworks. Our practical experiments and final discussions have already lead us to say that this experimental research was able to make most of participants pass through paradigm shift in their visual and conceptual experiences towards more interaction with contemporary visual arts trends, as an attempt to emphasize to the role of mature relationship between the art, science and technology, to spread interactive arts out in our community through the latest scientific and artistic mutations around the world and the role of this relationship in our societies particularly with those who have never been enrolled in practical arts programs before.

A. Diaa Ahmed Mohamed: Author is An Assistant lecturer and specialist of laser art and engineering of micro physical processes in visual arts, Drawing and painting Dept., Faculty of art education, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt and PhD researcher in sciences of Visual Arts, Graduated school of Arts at University of Bern and University of applied sciences, Bern, Switzerland. Phone: 0799367916. Email: diaa.ahmedien@students.unibe.ch or diaa.ahmedien@gmail.com.

Visual Arts

I. INTRODUCTION

T

he term hologram has been used - often incorrectly - to mean many things – encompassing everything from a projected 3D image floating in the air, to lenticular posters, to sparkly Christmas wrapping paper. This research defines a hologram accurately as a „record of the interaction of two mutually coherent light beams –Laser- in form of microscopic pattern of interference fringes [12]. Holography can explain how our brains can store so many common memories in so little space. Interestingly, holograms also possess a fantastic capacity for information storage. By changing the angle at which the two lasers strike a piece of photographic film, it is possible to record many different images on the same surface [22]. Any image thus recorded can be retrieved simply by illuminating the film with a laser beam possessing the same angle as the original two beams. By employing this method, “references have calculated that one inch-square of film can store the same amount of information contained in fifty large books [19]. and now holography as a communication technique is an important part of sciences of visual arts and its role to help normal people to integrate with contemporary interactive visual arts trends that could be able to create form of art that involves the spectator in a way that allows the art to achieve its purpose, by letting the observer or visitor walk in, on, and around them; some others ask the artist to become part of the artwork [9]. In the final decade until now a lot of efforts have been increasing to use the scientific techniques in interactive arts with normal people in different communities to let them express about their feelings and opinions and sometimes for political purposes also, which considered one of the most important targets in interactive arts trends [11], and most of interactive artists - such as but not limited Stephen Wilson, Shawn Brixey and Marta de Menezes and others are showing their artworks in form of interactive artistic program that included selected sample of public participants to implement the concept of mutual inspiration from artist to viewer through the artworks and from viewer to artist through the feedback of viewer that considered important part of artworks themself.

II. MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGY This holographic recording program had been divided into three Basic parts: Before, during and after experiment every one of them has been prepared chronologically: A. Before experiment In this task we were aware of that the sample of participants must belong to wide ranges in Egyptian community, with different educational and cultural backgrounds, environments, careers and also ages. The announcement of this holographic interactive art program had been spread out by the Media tools in the University and all famous social media websites within 20 days. Almost 1011 persons have applied in the program, thus two points have been taken into account: the capacity of Laser lab and how long time should we have in laser lab, where 20 days was available for us there, and every day laser lab cannot host more than 5 participants, therefore 100 participants have been selected in the final list. Every one of participants was asked to bring something like small object - 2D or 3D -, on condition this object must represent something for them (appreciated memory or feeling).

B. During the experiment Experiment had been achieved in period from 13th of October to 13th of November 2014 in Laser institute; Cairo University for 30 days: five days for learning theoretical principles, 20 days for recording process, and other 5 days to collect samples and discussions. 5 persons was recording their appreciated objects every day, Using Laser Nd:Yag: -CW532 nm [28] & Laser He-Ne: -CW- 632 nm [29] in holographic optical setups (single beam & double beam), on reflection holographic plates VRP/-M, - green sensitive [30] & PFG-01- reed sensitive [31] -, every plat was in size 10 CM×10 CM, JD2 developer kit had been used for developing processes [32], and other additional optical accessories [33].

C. After the experiment In this part there were two main tasks, collecting samples and discussion, in terms of the first, samples were collected within 3 days after experiment, and then the discussion had begun. We use a lot of form of discussion: free discussion, self-discussion, take notes, Questionnaires, and surveys to record the result of discussion and write recommendations.

III.

experiment we have used two kinds of optical layouts that were suitable with what we were looking for, through tow experiment’s Parts the first was single beam and the second was double beam: A. Single beam experiment The “classical” or “single-beam‟‟ Denisyuk technique simply shines a diverging laser beam through a holographic plate, which is so finely grained that it absorbs very little of the light, and onto the subject of the hologram. The light reflects back from the subject to the plate, where it overlaps the incoming light to produce the desired interference pattern [25]. Certainly the subject must be closer to the plate than one-half the laser‟s coherence length, but otherwise the technique is very simple and direct, and can produce results of very high quality. It is well suited to very large holograms, because no supplemental optics is required and the system is readily engineered to be resistant to vibration. But a more important property of reflection holograms is that they can be viewed with white light from concentrated sources [25]. That is because they reflect only a narrow spectrum, usually centered at the same wavelength as that of the exposing laser.

This is because the stacked mirrors are uniformly spaced by half the wavelength of the reflected light, just as the interference fringes that produced them were [19]. Light first reflects from the first curved mirror surface, but most of it passes on to the deeper layers. The reflection from the second layer comes back out after a delay of one full wavelength. All the following reflections are delayed by one more wavelength each. If there are enough such reflections of roughly equal strength, then only one wavelength is strongly reflected (the one for which all the reflections emerge in phase), and the strength drops to one-half its maximum if the wavelength varies by one-over-M of its central value (where M is the number of reflections that come back) [25], [12]. Fig. 1 shows the theoretical setup of single beam hologram, Fig. 2 shows Saxby’s model, where the slab isolated from the table by a partially inflated scooter inner tube, another useful prop to have around. This helps to prevent the transmission of any vibration to the setup. The mirror is held in position by two wooden blocks and a stave, all of which we can fix in position with spots of hot glue, once we have adjusted the mirror to give a downward beam of around 458 to 568, where we were following Saxby’s model in our experiment.

EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

The technical concept of holographic image is a „recording in a two – or three – dimensional medium of the interferences pattern formed when a point source of light (the reference beam) of fixed wavelength encounters light of the same fixed wavelength from an object (the object beam) [23]. When the hologram is illuminated by the reference beam alone, the diffraction pattern recreates the wave fronts of light from the original object. Thus, the reviewer sees an image indistinguishable from the original object. This technical concept is available to be designed via a lot of kinds of optical layouts, every one of them has particular properties, pros and cons and also different purposes about each other. In our

Fig. 1 theoretical setup for single beam hologram, [24]

Fig. 2 Saxby’s model, practical setup for single beam hologram, [12]

B. Double Beam Experiment In the holographic double beam setup, laser needs to be split into two beams through the beam-splitter to illuminate the object, and the diffusely reflected light, the “object beam,” strikes the photo-sensitive plate [19]. If that were all there were to it, we would just get a fogged plate. However, a relatively small amount of laser light is reflected off to be expanded to form the “reference beam,” which overlaps the object beam at the plate to produce the holographic interference pattern [23]. After exposure and processing, the plate (now called the “hologram”) is put back in place, and illuminated with expanded laser light, usually with the same angle and divergence as the reference beam. Diffraction of the illumination beam produces several wave front components, including one that reproduces the waves from the objectwhence the 3-D image reconstruction [24]. The various components are now separated by angles comparable to the reference beam angle, so that they no longer overlap and a clear window-like view of the scene is available.

The experimental set-up for double hologram is shown in fig.

3 the beam emitted by a laser is split into two beams. One beam is expanded and sent onto a high resolution recording medium. The second beam is used to illuminate an object. The light scattered by the object interferes in a complex fashion with the reference light. The interferences are recorded on a photosensitive plate. After development of the plate, an object wave can be reconstructed by illuminating the plate with the reference wave at the same angle as for the recording (shown in Fig. 3). With this optical setup it is possible to detect the object wave without being disturbed by the reference beam which propagates along another direction, where this setup requires the use of a laser for coherence requirement, [12].

Developing the recorded plates is the second critical step, and a myriad of developing techniques and recipes exist. The following one is that of T.H. Jeong from Lake Forest College [32]. The Part A solution, Part B solution and Bleach solution are prepared from the JD-2 chemical processing kit and they were prepared before the beginning of the recording processes. The following procedures were carried on in separated dark rooms as follows: 1) Develop: Quickly submerge the plate into the developer so that all parts get wet evenly. Slush it around for about two minutes. The hologram should turn almost black.

2) Rinse: Rinsing the developed hologram with agitation for at least 20 seconds. For best results and longer lasting holograms, rinse up to three minutes to make sure that all of Part A has been rinsed.

3) Bleach: Placing the rinsed hologram into the bleaching solution; agitate it until the plate is completely clear (this may take up to two minutes); then, bleach for another 10 seconds.

4) Rinse again: Rinsing the bleached hologram with agitation for at least 20 seconds (up to 3 minutes).

5) Dry: Standing the plate vertically with a paper towel under it, dry in room temperature.

To collect these slides after developing processes in one board, we designed glass covers for every one of them. In the Setup for reconstructing the image we use the same reference beam as in the expose setup. The reference beam is directed by the recorded fringe patterns on the plate in a way such that the directed beam seems to come from where exactly the original object locates, as it has been shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 4 optical setup for reconstructing the holographic image, [10]

IV.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Our result and discussion in holographic recording Program have been divided into 3 parts, As follows:

Fig. 3 holographic double beam setup (M=mirror; BS=beam splitter), [10].

A. Technical aspects: No matter how careful we were, things can still go wrong, so technical evaluation was responsible to measure how far participants were able to record their object correctly and integrate with scientific environment and use optical setup easily. In the first session; we discussed criteria that could be taken into account when we were classifying the recorded holographic image via every one of participants. Sharpness,

contrast, brightness and others were evaluated in every recorded holographic image. Classifying processes have been done via open discussion with all participants in the second session. Table I shows the Maximum, Minimum and average of grades for every criterion in evaluating processes, we had 100 participants in the experiment every one of them has recorded two holographic image, one by single beam mode and other by double beam mode. Table II shows, to what extent of quality, participants recorded the holographic image perfectly. We discussed the errors that happened and their reasons depending on holographic Saxby’s matrix fig. 5 in terms of recording processes, developing and reconstruction techniques.

TABLE I grades for every criterion in evaluating processes for holographic image, A: maximum, B: average, C: minimum Criteria

TOTAL

Minimum Grades of Criteria

A

B

C

Contrast

20

17

14

11

Brightness

20

17

14

11

Fading

20

15

12

9

Sharping

20

16

13

10

Clearing

20

16

13

10

total

100

81

66

51

We can note that, every criterion has not equal grades with other criteria; where there were factors had a direct effect on the image display, and others has indirect factors to effect on the holographic image appearance, [6].

Fig. 5 Holographic Saxby‟s matrix, for evaluating the quality of image, [12[

B. Participant’s performance hrough the experiment period most of participants appeared in high active performance regardless of their different backgrounds, every one of them has particular kind of ability that was different about others, but after all we were in harmonious team work. Activities were not only in recording holographic image but also they expanded to invoke free discussion among participants, where every one of them was talking about the reason of choosing his objects particularly. Fig.6 shows the relationship between participant‟s performance and their educational background in holographic recording project, there was a positive relationship, where it is clear that participants in postgraduate had a high performance more than other.

TABLE II THE RATE OF THE QUALITY FOR RECORDED HOLOGRAPHIC IMAGE, T.P: TOTAL, T.S: TOTAL SAMPLES

Optical setup modes Levels Single beam

Double beam

T.S

A

54

48

102

B

36

20

56

C

10

32

42

T.P

100

100

200

We can note that number of participants that were able to record holographic image in high levels A & B, in single beam mode were more than their number in double mode, because the first was easier than the second, [6].

Fig.6 The relationship between participants’s performance and educational background in holographic recording project, [6]

C. Holographic samples: Vital variety and different objects were bearded in mind via participants, toys, accessories, antiques and other small stuff have been recorded and then, the holographic samples have been collected and all participates were asked to make a free

discussion to try to answer on three questions -directly or indirectly- question A: is there a new value has been discovered as a result of using the holographic techniques to keep their impression? Question B: Are there differences between the real object and its holographic image? And question C: To what extant can we depend on the holographic techniques as an interactive art in our societies in the connection function?. We were using all answer forms to answer to these questions –free discussion, paper notes, questionnaires and surveys- as tools to detect answer indicators quantitatively, where analysis of results has been conducted for every discussion form separately and then they have calculated together to find out to what extent participants answer positively to these questions. Table III shows that there were about 71% of participants agree strongly on the question number A, 69% agreed strongly on question B, and about 66% agreed strongly on question C, in terms of participants that were agree, they have recorded agreement rate 18%, 22%, 26% on the questions respectively. Figs. 7, 8 & 9 show some of final result of holographic image.

Fig.7 small recorded toy on holographic plate, [6]

TABLE III NUMBER AND RATE ANALYSIS OF AGREEMENT OF PARTICIPANTS ON QUESTIONS IN DISCUSSION

++

+

-

discussions

A 60

B 65

C 62

A 30

B 21

C 28

A 10

B 14

C 10

Paper notes

75

70

68

20

20

25

5

10

7

questionnaire s Surveys

70

73

71

19

22

24

11

5

5

78

69

62

13

26

28

9

5

10

Total / 400

283

277

263

82

89

105

35

34

32

Total present

71%

69%

66%

18%

22%

26%

9%

8%

8%

++ Means agree strongly, + means agree and – means disagree. (A, B & C theses numbers of questions). This table shows numbers of participants in every form and every question. Total means that 100 participants everyone had 4 discussion forms, so the total forms were 400, if you sum numbers in every discussion form in all agreement categories about the same question you will get 100, and if you sum the total in also same questions will be 400.

For example: in terms of question A category (++ 283) + (+82) + (-35) = 400.

A lot of samples had been discussed, and every one of the participants provided the evidence - intentionally - on memories in our brain can work by the same way that works with the holographic reconstruction techniques, and they = became ready to dispose of their real objects and keep on their holographic image.

After all most of participants concluded their view in these points: 1) Holographic techniques have a lot of abilities to record visual data by different modes.

2) Holographic techniques fit to represent a lot of visual memories and discover unknown aspects in them.

3) Interactive art processes can be enriched by using the holographic techniques.

4) People were so active with the new scientific techniques in experimental visual arts.

5) Experimental visual artistic values in the interactive process depend on new scientific techniques.

Fig.8 some of nails on holographic plate, [6]

Fig. 9 some of collected recorded holographic images, Final discussion Session, Laser Lap, Laser institute, Cairo University, 2014, [6]

V. CONCLUSION

[8]

st

In the 21 century until now some of the most dynamic works of arts are being produced not in the studios but in the laboratories, where artists support their philosophical and cultural thoughts via scientific and technological researches and one of the most important approaches in this artistic mutation is holographic recording as an independent field of practical physics. A lot of artists can evoke their thoughts not only in their galleries but also out to make their experiences more interactive with normal people, so the scientist’s intellect can be motivated and shaped by artistic activities also the perception of visual data can be an aesthetic experience .

And this happened in this experiment, where it tries to discover the common relation among our accumulated memories in the past and our potential interactive with future as an extension of them. By record them holographically, relying on the theory of information in the contemporary sciences of visual arts, we can deal of ourselves as visual information that put in visual environment also, and here the holographic techniques can translate ourselves into visible wavelengths (coding process),. Therefore in the gallery the information in wavelengths will be reconstructed to return into original visual message (decoding process). So, this scientific process can make us able to see ourselves as an extension in the past towards common determination, and try to answer: how normal people can be integrated with artistic and scientific program to record and reinterpret their memories?, what our memories made of? Where the role of driving force to our memories to change our relationships, cultures and identities?

[9] [10] [11]

[12]

[13] [14]

[15] [16]

[17]

[18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]

[24] [25] [26]

VI.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project has been fully funded by grants artists program in British Council in Egypt [36], and Laser institute in Cairo University hosted the practical experiment in this project for free.

VII. [1]

[2]

[3] [4]

[5]

[6] [7]

[27] [28] [29]

[30] [31]

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A. Diaa Ahmed Mohamed Ahmedien: Born in 1986, Egypt, Assistant lecturer and specialist in Laser Art, Engineering of micro physical processes in visual Arts, Drawing and painting Dept., Faculty of Art Education, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt. Ph.D researcher at Graduated school of Arts –GSA-, University of Bern, and University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland.

Diaa is an Artist, researcher and inventor to setup systems of working, primary at the interface of Art, Science and Technology.

He graduated from faculty of Art Education, culture art, Excellent with honor degree, and have got a master in new media arts –Laser Art- and his master thesis win as a best master in visual arts in Egyptian universities, he studied a lot of scientific curriculums about physics of laser at laser institute in Cairo University and also in faculty of science, his art works depend on translate the

relationship between Art, Sciences and Technology conceptually and technically. He teaches also some of practical curriculums in contemporary arts at drawing and painting dept. faculty of art education. Diaa was working with the committee in IOSR -Journal of Humanities and Social Science (JHSS) - and made a scientific paper, published in October 2012. From 2011 until now he participates as an assistant evaluator in journal of visual language (Elsevier journals).

In the beginning of 2012 the laser institute in Cairo University chose him to participate in conference of Laser art -modern applications- and in the middle of the same year the faculty of applied arts invited him to participate in conference of new media in visual arts and his papers won as the best research in both of the two conferences. In the middle of 2013 the DAAD – Germany- nominated him as participate in workshop in Germany entitled: cultural identity which published as a booklet in September 2013. In 2014 LEONARDO magazine published his Master abstract as a one of important studies in Laser Arts and the British Council supported him in his art Works through British artists fund system as Laser artist, and in the same year he got on the Egyptian Government Excellence Scholarship for PhD student in rare specialization (Laser Art) to study his PHD degree in the University of Bern and University of Applied Sciences in Bern, Switzerland.