Project Realisation

My final project realisation is a space developed on the principles of perspective used in set design to create a sense of belief amongst audiences. The project will be a large-scale model of an Eidophusikon, which is a piece of entertainment art no longer extant but considered as one of the early forms of moving image. The version that I developed was an interpretation of the original. I incorporated certain elements into the process that made the design a little different and contemporary.

The original Eidophusikon was an eighteenth century attempt at virtual reality. It employed the techniques of linear perspective, diorama, and special effects using lights, gauzes, coloured glass, moving objects and smoke to create spectacular scenic effects. The objects inside the Eidophusikon were placed at strategic distance from one another so that when viewed from a certain angle they fell in place giving the illusion of one singular image. The image was then given movement to create the effect of an actual scene happening. I have followed the same pattern of construction and used linear and atmospheric perspective to depict a natural phenomena i.e. a view of the sun setting in the horizon from the beach which when viewed from the proscenium gave the impression of a single frame. The frame will give an illusion of a picture physically created on stage using an actual model set.

However, the way the model will be designed is different from the original Eidophusikon. Unlike the three-dimensional diorama used to create the content of the stage in the original Eidophusikons, I have modeled my scenery over the technique used in toy theatres in which scenes and characters were printed on cardboard. They were either in black and white or coloured. In Victorian times they were sold for ‘a penny plain and two pence for coloured ones’. The printed sheets were pasted onto thin cardboards, cut out and then assembled in layers on a small, toy stage to act out a play.

The design of my model is developed in a similar manner. I have sketched the scenery in a stylized style on card board, cut it out and mounted it on foam board to create various layers which will then be placed at various points in front of one another in linear perspective to create an image. The way I sketched the panels was influenced by Japanese Ukiyo – e paintings and woodblock prints of the Edo period that depicted landscapes in odd angles and shapes with emphasis on flat planes and strong linear outlines.

In the original Eidophusikon, the backdrop to the three – dimensional scene was made on stretched, painted canvas which was moved and replaced in a manner similar to a slide show as the scene progressed or changed. However, the backdrop of my model is a television screen playing a video of the sun setting over a sea. The video will play on a loop so the entire image would last for the duration of the sun setting before playing the same sequence again. 

Reference: 

EDM Studio 2006-2007. Eidophusikon [online]. Available at:

http://www.edmstudio.com/eidophusikon/index.html. [Accessed: 2 May 2011]

The Richard Balzer Collection, 2007. Available at:

http://www.dickbalzer.com/Panoramas_Dioramas.298.0.html.[Accessed: 2 May 2011]

Poulter R. 2007. Robert Poulter’s New Model Theatre – Eidophusikon [online]. Available at:

http://www.newmodeltheatre.co.uk/eidophusikon.html. [Accessed: 2 May 2011]