The Paper Project is a fusion project that blends art, science, and technology into engaging 2D and 3D experiences.
About the project
The Paper Project is a multidimensional art and science project exploring the microscopic structure of paper using a scanning-laser confocal microscope. Created by artist and scientist Charles Kazilek and printer and paper maker Gene Valentine (July 29, 1938 – February 22, 2022) in 1999 the project began exhibiting works in various formats including 2D and virtual 3D images. The 3D anaglyphic images make use of inexpensive red-blue 3D glasses first introduced to moviegoers in the 1950s. When wearing 3D glasses, it is as if the viewer has been reduced to the size of a period at the end of a sentence and is able to explore the invisible structure and beauty of paper.
In 2002, the project expanded to dance, collaborating with costume designers Jacqueline Benard and Galina Mihaleva and dance choreographer Jennifer Tsukayama. The result of the collaboration was Paper Interiors: a dance exploration of real and virtual dimensions that debuted at the American College Dance Festival. In 2004, Jennifer Tsukayama became a member of the Paper Project and the group created a traveling 3D immersive room based on the earlier dance performance. The first installation of the room was at the Arizona Museum for Youth.
Since its creation, images from the Paper Project have been viewed around the world in museums, science centers, and on the Web. In addition to exhibits the Paper Project has developed educational content that can be used to engage students in art, history, biology, chemistry, and physics.
Exhibits
A New Light on Paper. 27th Conference of the Southern Graphics Council. School of Art, Arizona State University. March 17–21, 1999 The Face of Paper. Computing Commons Gallery. Arizona State University. November 4 - December 17, 1999 School of Art: A Curriculum-based Exhibit. Arizona Museum for Youth. Mesa Arizona. February 18 - May 26, 2000 The Face of Paper II. Arizona Science Center. Phoenix Arizona. November 24, 2000 - January 20, 2001 Paper Interiors. Special Collections Gallery, J. Willard Marriott Library. University of Utah. May 17 - July 5, 2001 Paper Interiors: a dance exploration of real and virtual dimensions. American College Dance Festival. Arizona State University. March 14&15, 2002. Show of Color. Debut of the Paper Interiors Installation. Arizona Museum for Youth. Mesa Arizona. October 8, 2004 - January 28, 2005 Paper Project on Times Square - New York. Nikon Small World Touring Exhibit. October 31, 2004 - January 16, 2006 Paper Project Travels to Kenya. Lolgorian Kenya. July, 2006 Fiberscapes: Experience Paper in 3D. The Paper Discovery Center. September 19, 2006 - May 30, 2007 Nikon Small World Tour 2006 - 2007. Nikon Small World Tour. October 6, 2006 - January 13, 2008 Nikon Small World Tour 2008 - 2010. Nikon Small World Tour. October 24, 2006 - January 10, 2010 Exploring Fiberscapes: Experience Paper in 3D. The Paper Discovery Center. September 22, 2009 - May 30, 2010
Publications
"Rediscovering the Familiar: The Interior Aesthetics of Paper",Tijdloos Papier. Timeless Paper. Holland Press, 2002. 80-85. . "Image Analysis & 3D Reconstruction",Microscopy II | CD. Published by Multimedia Knowledge Inc. in conjunction with Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories. 2004. "Image Analysis & 3D Reconstruction",Microscopy III | CD. Published by Multimedia Knowledge Inc. in conjunction with Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories. 2005. "World Hidden in Paper: The 3-DWorld That Has Never Been Seen Before", Quo Magazine, May 2007. ISSN 1673-7563
History
The Paper Project started in 1999 by two faculty members of Arizona State University. The project includes a Web site viewable on the Internet Archive a.k.a. The WayBackMachine.
Also in 1999 the first two exhibits of art from the project are held. A New Light on Paper exhibited at the 27th Conference of the Southern Graphics Council and the Face of Paper at the Arizona State University Computing Commons Gallery are the first public presentations of the 2D and 3D works.
In 2000, works are included in the School of Art: A Curriculum-based Exhibit at the Arizona Museum for Youth in Mesa Arizona as well as an exhibit Face of Paper II at the Arizona Science Center. Early educational outreach materials are also added to the Web site.
In 2001, the works from the project travel to Utah for an exhibit, Paper Interiors, held in the Special Collections Gallery of the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah.