P3D Re: Escher, stereo, impossibility

[Bruce Springsteen <bsspringsteen@xxxxxxxxx>]

Indeed there is an element of "taste" consideration in my objection to
stereo conversions of Escher, though I don't consider it an
earth-shattering issue, and there are some matters of fact here
nevertheless.  It reminds me of the debate over the "colorization" of
classic black & white films.  Some love and enjoy the films so much that
they want to "gild the lily" and add some pretty blues and pinks and such,
to "enhance" the experience.  Some love and enjoy the films so much that
they want to preserve the experience as designed, with the merits of the
medium intact and without intrusive improvements.  Each side accuses the
other of being a killjoy.

I feel the impulse to "stereoize" every picture I see - a symptom of the
semi-obsessed condition many of us share.  But upon reflection, I see that
not everything is better in stereo.  I had a friend who loved Tobasco
sauce, and put it on every - I mean every - meal I ever saw him eat.  He
enjoyed it, but I'm not buying his cookbook, if he ever decides to share
this joy with the world.  

I challenge the stereo conversion experts, if they dare, to convert
Escher's "Doric Columns", "Three Spheres I", and even "Belvedere" to
stereo.  Post the results to the web, along with Escher's own descriptions
of the original works, and invite comment.  (oops, dont forget to secure
permission to use the images)  I also think the pieces that depend on
figure-ground ambiguity fail in stereo, for the same reason that
uncertainty as to distance is the whol;e point of the illusion. 
Introducing specific stereo distance information breaks the spell.

Some Escher work that is at least plausible in stereo includes the two
Michael Hodsden conversions, many of the views for sale on Steve's site,
and others that contain no depth-ambiguous matter.  "Hand with Reflecting
Sphere", "Stars", "Depth", "House of Stairs", and even "Print Gallery" all
are examples.  I also would like to see a stereo-triptych with three
images arranged in a triangle on a card, made from the lithograph
"Relativity" with three different stereo viewing orientations,
corresponding to the three mutually perpendicular orientations of the
worlds therein.  This, of course, would not be convertible to anaglyph.

Bruce
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com