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IBradbury Building #4 by Nick T.
Spark and David Carpenter Image ©2005
Nick T. Spark (Work in Progress)
Escheresquetm
Exploring Impossible Worlds
in the Historic
Bradbury Building / Los
Angeles, California
In 2003 I began sketching ideas
for a series of optical illusion photographs, based on some discoveries
I'd made while manipulating images for a photographic poster. A life-long
fan of master illustrator and artist M.C. Escher, I soon found myself reviewing
his works for inspiration. Within a short time I decided to try to make
a photographic tribute to one of Escher's most famous works, Relativity.
The question was, how to shoot photographs for this, and where?
An answer
to the second question quickly came to mind: The Bradbury Building in downtown
Los Angeles. One of the city's most intriguing edifices, the Bradbury is
steeped in legend and mystery. Arguments still rage about exactly who designed
it, although credit is generally given to a little-known architect named
George Wyman. He allegedly agreed to the commission -- and this is not
a joke -- after consulting an Ouija board. The building has appeared in
numerous movies including Wolf and, most famously, Bladerunner.
After visiting the building with
my friend David Carpenter, who became a collaborator on this project, we
were struck by how ideal it seemed to be. The Bradbury's internal structure
is composed of simple yet ornate components which are varied ever-so-slightly
throughout the building. The result is a structure of great intricacy and
harmony. It is reminiscent on a certain fundamental level of a Bach fugue
that relies on a simple theme which, when layered, produces a piece of
overwhelming complexity and beauty. A parallel can also be immediately
drawn (as Douglas Hofstadter does elegantly in his book Godel, Esher
and Bach) to the "regular division" (as mathematician Doris
Schattschneider terms them) works of Escher which are very complex in their
appearance, yet deceptively simple in their construction at the same time.
Putting theory
into practice took a great deal more effort than either myself or David
imagined. Initial assumptions about how to create these works gave way
to a great deal of confusion, disappointment, and frustration. Only through
months of effort and work with the photographs have the pieces you see
here emerged. (Our respect for Escher, his genius and his works has grown
infinitely as a result).
Special thanks to David Carpenter,
a talented artist in his own right, who shot many of the photos and made
key discoveries without which some of these images would not have existed.
Assisting in the difficult shoot at the Bradbury was Hunter Mann. Mr. Eric
Bender of MAS Property Management and the owners of the Bradbury also deserve
a huge thank you, as does the staff of this landmark building. (I'd also
like to thank Brenda Levin, FAIA, who oversaw restoration of this landmark
building.)
Work continues on this project,
and other ventures into this realm are planned with hopes that a themed
book containing the work can eventually be produced.
Incidentally, while you can visit
the Bradbury, public access is limited and restricted to the ground floor.
If you enjoy the photos, please
consider purchasing one. Some are available as signed, limited editions
and artists' proofs.
Incidentally, the figure in the
photographs is not a tribute to master illusionist Rene Magritte.
Limited Edition, Signed 20x30"
and 24x36" Prints are Now Available of (Some of) the Photos You See
Here.
Contact me at eyeballoverload*aol.com
for more information (substitute a '@' for the '*' when writing).
Above: Bradbury Building #1 by Nick T. Spark.
Below: Detail. Both images ©2005 Nick
T. Spark
Above: Bradbury Building #2 by Nick T. Spark.
Below: Detail. Both images ©2005 Nick
T. Spark
Above: Bradbury Building #3 by Nick T. Spark.
Image ©2005 Nick T. Spark
Above: Bradbury Building #5. (Uses image #4 as
a tile.) by Nick T. Spark and David Carpenter. (Work in Progress). Below:
Detail of Image. Both images ©2005 Nick T. Spark
If
If you enjoy these images you may
enjoy these books...
which were used as reference works
to create these images.
Other optical illusion books you
may enjoy:
Legal notice: All images and
other content on this web page are Copyright ©2002-2006 by Nick T.
Spark, and may not be used, reproduced, altered, posted, or otherwise distributed
without express permission. Some trademarks, logos and other content featured
in images may be subject to ownership by third parties. Their inclusion
does not necessarily reflect an endorsement or affiliation by these groups.
"Escheresque" is a trademark of Nick T. Spark.