#SafeHome graffiti illusion in Leeds

This was another of those you-have-to-be-in-the-right-spot kind of paintings.

There are a lot of people calling this technique ‘3D’, which I suppose in a simplistic way it is. I prefer to call it ‘anamorphic projection’. Whichever name you call it, there’s a fair bit of forethought and planning involved, most of it is down to maths. Once this is nailed, its like painting the insides of another dimension, new planes of origin -the X, Y and Z.

its like painting the insides of another dimension

The brief for this public commission was to depict a scene of a dysfunctional household for Legal & General Home Insurance, with specific items broken or in need of repair, causing a hazard. Getting there in Leeds train station at 6:15 am and clocking in with the contractors DVD-laced initiation and control centre was surreal. Setting up a 3m square of lino next to a 2m high fabricated wall and using aerosol paint at the bemusement of rail staff, cleaners and Leed’s friendly commuters – with adequate health and safety breaks of course.

When Jack Agency got in touch to ask me to do it they had already been shown by Dr. D the consequence of my mathematics on display at places like Cordy House.

The 360° photograph

Here’s the 360° photograph that I took at the very end, for you to enjoy.
Click the image below to view the panoramic photograph in full screen.

Exit the panorama by clicking on the background or the button.

View the 360 in its own screen

So, the thing is – with these kind of paintings – you have to be in the exact location of the intended viewpoint in order for the illusion to work. Its like an invisible door where there’s an invisible keyhole. This keyhole is (conveniently) located at the same eye level that my eyes are; 170cm, at a set location aside the work itself. Any photograph that is taken with the lens not IN this keyhole will render the illusion void and the lines won’t distort as intended. The time-lapse camera occupied this ‘slot’ throughout the painting, so I had a bit of my own mental arithmetic going on when I was painting…

Sketches

Photography by Scott Salt