Gianni Sarcone's Kinetic Art (Sarcone's Studio)

Kinegrams, Art in Motion!

Back in the 1960s, the Op Art movement started exploring images that trick the brain into thinking they’re moving. It is around 1997 that I began creating my own optical kinetic art, which I call "Kinegrams." Using a technique based on early optical principles, I discovered how to turn everyday objects into small movie machines. The magic unfolds when transparent overlays, printed with intricate black designs, are slid over static phase-motion patterns, creating a fascinating motion effect—similar to those classic motion picture toys from a century ago! I clearly remember the first time I saw one of my Kinegrams come to life; it felt like I had unlocked a hidden dimension within a static object.

How it works
All animation relies on the same principle: persistence of vision. Kinegrams combine the visual effects of moiré patterns with the zoetrope animation technique. This technique has roots in the French pre-cinema method called “Ombro-Cinéma,” dating back to the late 19th century. The animated sequence is created when the complex image— the Kinegram—is viewed through an acetate overlay with a solid black pattern printed on it. The transparent areas of the pattern allow parts of the Kinegram to show through as the overlay slides across it. Your brain connects the sequence of images that appear, creating the illusion of fluid motion, as demonstrated in the two examples below.


Kinegram Is the basic still image with special kinoptic patterns. There are many way to create a Kinegram... You can see here two main types.	Transparent overlay Acetate with solid black lines. The width of the stripes depends on the phase-motion of the Kinegram. But the acetate can also present other kinds of patterns, such as round blank holes, as shown below.	Animated still image When the overlay is slid from side to side over the Kinegrams the windmill blades start to rotate and the horse, to gallop! [enlarge pic above] [enlarge pic below]

SAMPLING AND APPLICATIONS
Kinegrams can be used in books, animated cards, works of art, interior design, and on many other products. Below are some Kinegram samples you can play or experiment with.

Playing with words
Kinegrams are highly interactive and can be a smart way to teach and promote the pleasure of reading to children. In effect, they allow words to become alive and to poetically transform into images, and viceversa, catching the curiosity and attention of youngsters and adults alike.


Hypnosis Hypnotic visual effects using the word Hypnosis. [click to try it yourself right now]	Tunnel Amazing optical effects using the word Tunnel. [click to try it yourself right now]	Rotor Rotational moving effect with the word Rotor. [click to try it yourself right now]

Playing with shapes
Kinegrams represent a dynamical and amazing way to investigate the many aspects of shapes and colors. With this technique, hypnotic abstract shapes and patterns appear to move in a loop-like seamless fashion.


Twisting Cords Colorful ropes that appear to wind and unwind. [click to try it yourself right now]	Squares in a Cube Concentric squares that expand in a cube. [click to try it yourself right now]	Warping Checkers A checkered structure warping front to back. [click to try it yourself right now]

Capturing the emotions and instant of everyday life
Any everyday life act or gesture can be visually simulated by Kinegrams: walking, dacing, swimming, flying... Like a very short yet significant film!


Dancing Girl A pretty girl who apparently loves to dance. [click to try it yourself right now]	Lipstick A mysterious woman who puts on lipstick. [click to try it yourself right now]	Flying Birds A flock of flying birds that migrate South. [click to try it yourself right now]

An interesting variant: the rotating Kinegram
The “Rotating Kinegram” is a development of the linear Kinegram process. While with classic Kinegram the still image comes to life as soon as an overlay with solid vertical lines is slid across it, with Rotating Kinegram process instead the still image animates when a transparent disc with printed radial stripes is spun over it. A very simple example is shown below, you can see more interesting examples and applications of Rotating Kinegrams from my Behance gallery. This kind of Kinegram can be used to illustrate interactive children books, to animate advertising material, or to decorate watches in a dynamic fashion.

[see it in motion!]

Need more information about the Kinegrams? Contact me today or download the following PDF file

SEE ALSO:
Autokinetic Illusions, Kinechromatics, Müller-Lyer Illusion, Master of Numbers, Scintillating Starburst Illusion

REFERENCES:
Sarcone & Waeber. Make You Own 3D Illusions, Carlton Books, p. 21, 2007.

Sarcone's work on Behance
https://www.behance.net/gallery/15890201/Kinegrams-moving-static-images

CITE THIS AS:
Sarcone, Gianni A. "Kinegrams, Art in Motion." From Sarcone’s Studio -- A Sarcone & Waeber Web Resource. http://giannisarcone.com/Kinegrams.html

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This work by Gianni A. Sarcone is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.giannisarcone.com/Copyright.html.