When museums like the Smithsonian are putting a great deal of effort (and money) into capturing their extensive collections in 3D, the cultural value is undeniable. But what about those parts of a culture that we treat as ephemera, like the “furniture” that decorates our public spaces and colors our experiences of a city? These objects are under constant threat of damage or replacement. Oddviz is on the job with its Inventory art project.
The Turkish art collective began in its own city, Istanbul, honing its methodology by capturing statues, bollards, and a variety of objects of differing complexity and size. Oddviz then moved on to Manhattan, Venice, and Kreuzberg-Berlin, capturing iconic street objects and processing them with Agisoft PhotoScan to create an inventory (get it?) of objects for each city.
Since Oddviz is an art collective, and not a cultural institution with public funding, they use these items to compose in 2D, 3D, and even 4D. For Istanbul, the team generated a “random arrangement” that refers to the “chaotic soul of the city.” The Manhattan composition (see above) is neatly gridded in homage to the sharp angles and orderliness of the island’s grid structure.
The 2D results are mesmerizing. The 4D results—see below—are even more so, and look like they’d be ideal viewing with a VR headset.
For more information and more pictures, check out Oddviz’ website here.
