Using a scanner as a camera.

As the issue of copyright has come up very breifly so far in class I am interested in making sure that all of the images I collect for my projects are as close to 100% created myself. One of our first tasks to use a scanned image has made me think about using the scanner similar to the way you would use a camera.

My first idea was to scan in images of my own face in such a way as my face has been pushed in to the glass of the scanner to create flat patches of skin in the picture. Then to scan in cuts meat such as mince, sirloin, blade, etc to use these as a textures to replace these flat patches.

I came up with the idea as we were driving down the coast one weekend. We passed so much road kill that I started thinking of ways to use it visually and came up with idea of making myself into a piece of road kill.

Quick google searches have brought about a few interesting sites such as Harold Olerjarz, above, (http://www.olejarz.com/art/digital/index.html) and Robert Creamer, left, (http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/creamer/skull.htm & http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/creamer/bio.htm & http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/creamer/videos/Creamer.mov) and Kit Chubb (http://www.kitchubb.ca/columns/050713.html)

As I search more and more I find that the idea of using a scanner has been through many forms...

Gordon Coale, right, (http://www.electricedge.com/greymatter/archives/archive-10012006-10072006.htm)

Gordon Caoles blog led me to 'The Online Photgrapher' and Michael Golembewski's Magic Lantern.


"All these words describe Michael Golembewski's scanner photgraphy project. Golembewski, who calls himself an "artist and interaction designer," makes his own digital cameras (he's made ten or so) by combining old film cameras with the guts of cheap flatbed scanners. That's interesting enough, but what's far more fascinating is what happens when he uses the cameras. Moving objects and the motion of the scanner sensor create "distortions are similar to the effect created by moving a sheet on a photocopier mid-copy, except that they extend into three dimensions and only effect objects in motion." People morph into strange globs or acquire extra heads; cars and trucks are abbreviated to narrow posts in the middle of the street. The effects are odd, disturbing, and not infrequently beautiful." (Post from The Online Photgrapher, January 19, 2006)

Podcast with Michael Golembewski (http://smallworldpodcast.com/?p=307) and a make your own scanner camera site (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/01/diy_build_a_sca.php & http://www.sentex.net/~mwandel/tech/scanner.html).

So now I have way to many ideas with what could be done with a simple scanner...