AMIR HARIRI
We approached Amir Hariri, NYC, because of the way his works focus on capturing the third dimension, playing with optical illusions to transcend 3D objects into 2D forms. A multi-disciplinary background in painting, sculpture and printmaking, meant Amir was a perfect fit for our new Elegraph™ printmaking medium.
Amir takes inspiration from his New York City surroundings, capturing passive interactions and exchanges with our built environment. "This transiency of occupied space is further examined, formally, by layering carefully drafted graphite and ink drawings with various types of paint (oil, house and spray), concrete, plaster and wood to showcase the interplay of symmetry, tangency and congruence, with material authenticity. It is here that the interplay of various stages, from demolition to renovation, form a new ground for imagined dwellings forged from the fragmentation of existing buildings." Amir Hariri.
Using our Elegraph printmaking platform, digitization of two base plates allowed Amir to manipulate these mediums further, interchanging elements and adding elevation, texture, and shadows within the digital realm.
“What makes the Elegraph interesting to me as a printmaker and a painter, is that I can really look at geometric forms through another dimension, and that dimension really comes through a real and immediate way. Even though I’m working on a traditional medium on the base plate, the thought process is that at some point it can be digitized so I can then push that medium further.”
Amir Hariri - Artist & Printmaker, NYC
Elegraph Printmaking
Starting with a concept discussion, Amir was quick to understand the new opportunities our platform offered his vision and quickly took pen to paper, ready to share initial sketches.
Amir physically worked on two source plates, provided by alta, working with paint and building a few small concrete forms. After these were scanned, our Art Production team worked on the digital files, creating new elevation, texture, shadows and forms to bring Amir’s vision into the digital realm.
Transcending Physical Limitations
Through discussion and collaboration, we provided Amir with the ability to engage with his work in a different way and developed new ways to blend 3D with 2D, creating sloped elevation and adding geometric forms that fall outside physical methods.
By conducting a physical, and virtual, shadow study of an all-white print, Amir was able to plan and further push his vision for an iteration with the most intriguing illusions of light, shadow and depth in both 2D and 3D.
Endless Possibilities
Our collaboration with Amir Hariri also demonstrates the exciting possibilities of iterating, almost infinite times, to produce original artwork from one, or many, sources. By digitally intervening, manipulating and transforming his sources we had the flexibility to dive deep, take risks and experiment – all with the comfort of being able to rewind, adjust and try something different until his vision was met.
The result of our beta collaboration with Amir is a series of three Elegraph Prints that represent Amir’s body of work in a new medium.