Kiwi Ingenuity Breaks Ground in International Art

Pride In Print media release (April 2008)

(use with pic – caption Pride In Print judge Carolyn Vize studies the 3D Renoir scene entry from Outer Aspect)

Kiwi Ingenuity Breaks Ground in International Art World

A Kiwi MotionPrint imaging company has developed a successful international niche market by applying innovative technology to create 3D imagery – including commissions to showcase the artwork of Renoir, Van Gogh and Salvador Dali

One of Outer Aspect’s recent successful productions was a 3D image of Renoir’s famous Boat Scene painting, which has been entered for this year’s NZ Pride In Print Awards, but that is only the tip of the iceberg for a company which has taken Kiwi ingenuity to the world market.

“The Renoir posters were produced for the Philadelphia Museum of Art Retail Store who framed them as limited edition artwork for sale to members and the general public visiting the museum,” says Outer Aspect marketing executive Sharmila Patel.

“But we have done similar jobs with other major works of art. We have done posters, postcards, fridge magnets, Cinderella stamps and cups for museum retail stores of Benjamin Franklin, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Frida Karlo and Salvador Dali to name a few.”

The Renoir story is typical of how Outer Aspect brings the work to NZ from offshore, says Sharmila.

“We were commissioned to reproduce this piece of art in 3D. We were supplied a colour-corrected digital image from the museum which was taken from the original artwork. A week was spent in-house on the image to create depth applying a 3D effect through digital image mapping and image generation techniques.

“The finished image was printed directly to the reverse side of the lens using our imaging process, and a laminate was applied over the top of the printed product to protect and provide further opacity. The end result was the painting reproduced in high-definition 3D.”

Feedback from the client was excellent – “Given the client has been working with us for many years, they have been able to plot our continued development, innovation and reinvestment into our process. They felt very strongly this image was yet another milestone in innovation we have achieved, and where very excited with the results,” she says.

Outer Aspect has now developed a wide range of international clients to which the technology is applied. These range from museums, FMCG markets, out-of-home media, security products such as postal stamps through to individual photographers and artists.

“We are getting more innovative with our technology,” says Sharmila. “We can now transfer direct high-definition video footage onto print using up to four seconds of video. A butterfly image we did, which was also entered into Pride In Print, uses actual HD footage of the butterfly flapping its wings. We did this for our own marketing material to show FMCG agencies around the world how our innovative technology can be applied.”

Outer Aspect was founded in 1994 by Jonathan Moon, who trained in traditional laser-based holography. The “MotionPrint” technology was born from this background due to its high visual appeal, ability to produce multi colours and potential for broader usage and acceptance.

Since then Jonathan has spent 14 years constantly developing and innovating this technology and building an organisation that can commercialise these innovations.

Now, Outer Aspect’s headquarters are in Auckland with staff in the USA, Australia and Europe.

About 90% of the company’s work is exported worldwide and 40% of profit is re-invested back into innovation. For this reason, 10% of staff are dedicated to developing market innovations.

ENDS

* (note to publishers: Pride In Print has a capital “I” for “In”)

** (note to publishers: all winning entries remain confidential until Awards Night -- early media releases are in no way intended to forecast potential winners)

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