by Danica Gianola



The ghost within the sphere.
If it looks as if you've seen a ghost, you actually have.

Matt Wright and Chris George are the kind of duo you see once in a lifetime. More or less as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, they keep moving swiftly from project to project, leaving behind pieces of art, which represent a new influence within the 360°'s world. Driven by a highly developed aesthetic sense, inspired and innovative, Matt and Chris have helped pushing VR technology within new realms as the one of imagination and the nebulous world of ghosts.

Snowdon, Poldice & Portuguese Lake

Flooded Village

Snowdon

Poldice Towers

Can you tell us more about your general background?

Matt Wright
I'm originally from Colchester in Essex. My interest in photography started when I got my first point and shoot 35mm when I was about 8 (a lovely little red Halina that I still own!) and I really started developing my skills myself using my dad’s Pentax K1000 out of the frustration of my secondary school not offering a photography GCSE. At Sixth Form College I began studying photography at GCSE and then when I completed this I was again frustrated that I could not study at A-level standard so enrolled on an evening adult community college course to enable this. It was around this period (aged 16/17) that myself and another friend started a small company offering event photography, as we had been disappointed with the results we'd received at a May-ball and felt we could do better! It was a steep learning curve at that age but I'm glad to say we never made a financial loss and the challenges of co-ordinating equipment and the people skills we developed have come in invaluable ever since. After a couple of years travelling around south east Asia and Australia I returned to the UK to enrol at the University of Wales Newport to try and develop my artistic skills as by this point it was clear that photography was my passion and future direction.

Chris George
Originally from a small village outside Bristol I moved to the Shetland Islands from 1978 to 1998. I have worked in a variety of jobs from a lab technician in offshore oil industry to a chef in a local hotel and restaurant. I had an interest in photography as no more than a hobby until 1998 when I moved back to England, and looking for another change in career, enrolled in a 2 year National Diploma in Photography at the City of Bristol College. This then led on to completing the Higher National Diploma before moving on to the University of Wales Newport to finish a degree in Photographic Art BA (Hons).


When and how you became involved in VR photography and the creative duo came together ?

We met in 2003 whilst studying on the BA (hons) Photographic Art course at the University of Wales, Newport and formed 'WrightGeorge' during our final year as a platform to present our first joint exhibition.

One of our first collaborative pieces exploring 360º & Light trail combinations :

click here to view Blood Tunnel

We were aware of each others interest in panoramic imagery and had been discussing collaborating to develop and share our idea's but it was an opportunity to show in a new gallery that cemented the partnership. Matt had been in discussions with a local business owner for some time about showing some work in one of his establishments when he approached Matt, at fairly short notice, to put together an entire show for the opening of a new gallery/bar space. With a month deadline to conceive, shoot, post-produce and fabricate quite a large show it seemed the perfect chance to work with, collaborate and share the workload and stress!

We decided to use the opportunity to simply use the 360º medium to show a new side to Newport and went about exploring some of the key city highlights as well as some of the more derelict, abandoned areas of the city, which were generally overlooked by the general public.

The response to the show was very positive and after being invited to display the full show at the University of Wales we were fortunate enough to sell every piece and actually turn a small profit. I guess this proved to us that there was some serious potential to working together and we could see that under pressure we were quite capable of turning around great results.

It was a few months previous to this that Chris had invested in a Manfrotto SPH 303 and Realviz Stitcher 4 bundle, and it was the great combination of this hardware and software that enabled our first VR output. Previous to this Chris and I had, independently, created a large number of joiners and had experimented with different techniques to develop and produce panoramic imagery, however it wasn't until we started using Stitcher that the joys of spherical panorama's and VR output became available to us.



Which is your artistic philosophy?


The core philosophy for WrightGeorge is that every environment can be approached from a new direction and shown in a new light. Whether it is the smooth lines of a central cityscape to the degrading surfaces of a derelict factory, we hope to interact with our environment in a way which forces the viewer to question their understanding of a space and enable a fresh viewpoint on the environment presented.

In every new project we always try to push the boundaries from what we have done before. Never doing the same thing twice forces our artistic output to always be fresh and invigorating. Experimentation both on-site or in post-production fuels our progressive development and, feeds our artistic aspirations. 



Please tell us more about your most important projects.

Our current photosphere development is probably the most important area of our creative research with the site-specific photosphere produced as part of the "Ghosts in Armour" Show being our furthest advancement to date.


GHOSTS IN ARMOR

Beckham is Queer

Filing Cabinets

Whiteheads Blood Veins

Whiteheads Eye

Whiteheads Reflection

Plastic Bag

The Ghosts in Armour exhibition which we are both helping to co-ordinate is a mixed artists creative response to a space, a time and a declining Welsh industry and centres around the last large Industrial factory complex in central Newport which is currently under demolition orders as part of the regions vast regeneration program.

For our involvement in ‘Ghosts’ we have conducted our largest study of one environment to date, with around 200 individual 360º’s completed on the site so far. These are going to be used for a variety of outputs ranging from flat equirectangular art prints to online VR’s to allow people a more immersive opportunity to explore the site which, without this technology, would not be accessible for them. The Virtual tour we create for this project will also act as a lasting legacy to the site and hopefully a testament to the buildings and environment that was so important within Newport both socially and historically.

Aside from the above we really wanted to use this imposing and soon to be lost site, as a base to advance the photosphere concept through our first major site-specific instillation.


Photosphere? Can you tell us more about the concept?

The Photosphere is one of the main areas of R&D for us. To put it in its simplest terms a photosphere is a 360º image that is then wrapped into a spherical form. This concept breaks the barrier between the image and the viewer in that the photograph is no long restricted to the flat plane and in fact becomes a physical object.

The effect from people viewing these photospheres is one of surreal engagement. Due to the spherical nature of the image it is impossible to see the entire image from one position. The viewer is forced to move around the image and in doing so natural curiosity holds the viewers gaze for far longer than a traditional two-dimensional image.

During the past few years Chris has created a number of small scale photospheres (30cm diameter) using a flat print transfer as part of the early process, but recently development have seen the concept move into the large scale production of helium filled balloons. This has been due to the flexibility printed fabrics offer over traditions paper print and has allowed us to push the concept into a wide range of new areas.

The core development for us has always been based within the art field and as such the latest concept piece has been the most important and interesting for us.

The Godins Sphere

For the ‘Ghosts in Armour’ project we produced a 2-meter helium filled photosphere that for the equivalent of a standard working week was installed within the same visual environment from which the photosphere image was created. The effect was truly mind blowing, even for us, as this was the first time we created a piece as a site-specific installation on such a scale. During the week the photosphere was photographed in its environment using the same High Dynamic Range 360º process as used to create the original image.

One of the interior 360º HDR's taken for Ghosts in Armour.
This is actually the viewpoint used to create the Godin's Photosphere © WrightGeorge 2008:

click here to experience Godins View

click here to experience Godins photosphere view 1

click here to experience Godins photosphere view 2

click here to experience Godins photosphere view 3

click here to experience Godins photosphere view 4

click here to experience Godins photosphere view 5

click here to experience Godins photosphere view 6

click here to view Filing Cabinets from Ghosts in Armour

The photosphere creates an interesting visual effect when display as a site-specific work. On first sight people tend to react to it as if it is a mirror ball, simply reflecting what’s visible, however after a moment they realise that what they are looking at is in fact a giant spherical photograph. There is a wonderful moment when the penny drops and people start to smile, stand amazed and stare even more intently.

This type of site-specific photosphere work is something we are very keen to expand on. Although the current developments are on the inflatable spheres we are also working on a solid sphere process however both are suitable for a variety of permanent installations, which for us has always been a key aim.

Which were the technical aspects involved ?

For the ‘Godins Sphere’ the location from which to shoot the starting 360º image was based on our own understanding of how and from what position a 360º image works as both a flat and spherical image. This process is something we have developed through working within the 360º format over the last few years. It takes a lot of practice to mentally visualise how an environment will work as a flat 360º and then turned into a spherical image. However some of the basics from traditional photography still apply, such as having foreground, middle and background elements that work together to draw the viewer into the image, but in 360º you have to take all views from one single point into account. You cannot look through the viewfinder and line up a shot based on one viewpoint, in fact we very rarely looking through the camera viewfinder any more, you have to simply evaluate the whole space from one location.

On the technical side of our work the biggest change in the last few projects is the move into HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography. This process has allowed us to push the artistic nature of our image to a whole new level. Due to the surreal nature of 360º photography and the way in which we render our images, we have always been keen to insure that people understand that everything they see is done either in-camera or in post-production and that we do little image manipulation, just correcting stitching errors or minor colour correction. The HDR process has allowed us to add a whole new intensity to the final output through both the image capture and the post-production process but without resorting to direct image manipulation.

While the HDR process does add a great deal to the final images it also adds a large amount of additional work to the image production stage. The Godins Sphere was created using a 32-shot process to capture the 360º but each of the 32 shots was composed of a 9-bracketed set. This meant in effect that the final 360º was created using 288 individual shots.

Please tell us more about the Exhibition ?

For us, the Godins Photosphere existed in its truest sense during the week in which it was displayed from its point of creation, at the factory. Unfortunately due to Health and safety issues and access to the site only a privileged few were able to witness it here. We will however be showing both the physical sphere and a short film documenting its time at the factory at all the locations where the Ghosts Exhibition tours.


WrigthGeorge is very strong not only in creating awesome projects but also in promoting them, can you tell us more about your promotion strategies?


As photographic artists we are only too aware of how difficult and financially complicated it is to develop our own practice and it became clear fairly early on in our collaborations that without shouting as loud as we could about our achievements, people would not get on board to support us.

Having no formal marketing experience or training we have learnt how to promote ourselves through a continually evolving process of trial and error.

The biggest thing we have discovered is that if you really want to push yourselves and your work you need to be constantly searching for any opportunities, and if none fit your requirements then you just need to persevere and create your own. In this regard the one piece of advice we would give to anyone wanting to work in the commercial arts sector is not to be afraid to ask anyone for anything. The worst anyone can ever say is No and as long as you are polite and promote your core intentions clearly and transparently then it is unlikely that even the ‘No's’ will take offence. You also never know when a ‘No’ now might become a ‘Yes’ later, so keep your contacts happy and up to date with your developments.



On the more commercial side, can you tell us more about your professional philosophy?

When we’re working for a client we are always up front with the processes we are using as it helps to get the best results for both parties. We have found that taking the time to explain the 360º equipment means that the client also feels involved in the process and can often help expand ideas.

One of our core principles is to do the best we can for each individual job and although that sometimes means spending more computer time on a job than has been quoted for, we often find that clients really appreciate that extra effort.

Always being honest with clients is something we have learnt from dealing with other companies. Maybe we have been a little naïve within our early business dealings but some companies offered us contracts that were ‘too good to be true’, and sure enough they were. Always being honest and sticking to deadlines is a much more productive way to improve you business and helps us sleep at night.

Always try to keep up to date on the latest developments in hardware and software, which can prove hard nowadays as it seems to be changing every day, but having one eye on what’s new and improved helps to keep you ahead of the game. Having said that there is also a strong argument for the old saying ‘if its not broken don’t fix it’, in other words, if a process works and has proved successful then stick to it.

Please tell us more about your favourite commercial project.

In October 2007 we were commissioned to produce 15 panoramic art images for a new cruise liner. P&O Cruises ‘Ventura’ is the biggest ship built for the British market and one of its core themes was as the largest floating art gallery in the UK. With 1 Million pounds being spent on newly commissioned work and only around 60 artists from the UK selected, we were very pleased to have been part of this select group.

Eden

Globe

Spinnaker

Forth Rail Bridge

Ventura gallery original commission from WrightGeorge:

click here to view Ventura Photo Gallery

For the project we spent two weeks travelling the length and breadth of the UK from Goonhilly in Cornwall to the Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland to offer passengers on board not just a reminder of home but also a new perspective of these well known locations. The final 15 images were nearly 2m high by 1m wide and count as the biggest art pieces we have produced for a client, although we have done bigger for ourselves! For us though, it was the shear range of locations that had to be covered that made the project so special.

Normally we work together on location but due to deadline and locations we had to work in different areas of the country at the same time. So while Matt was photographing Edinburgh Castle and the Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland, Chris was working on the Spinnaker Tower and HMS Victory in Portsmouth. In fact there were only 2 of the 15 locations that we were both at, at the same time, The Wales Millennium Centre and Canary Wharf. After two weeks of running around the country we spent a further four weeks in front of our computers doing all the post-production work.

After nearly 8 weeks of work we sent off 15 DVD’s worth of images to be printed and mounted, we say 15 DVD’s because each final image was over 4 gigabytes in size!

The P&O commission was the most intense and enjoyable commercial project we have worked on in the last 18 months.

What services do you offer?

VR’s and Virtual Tours

VR’s are one of our main commercial areas with us specialising in educational establishments, such as Universities, and tourist locations. We have recently completed a Virtual Tour for the University of Wales Institute Cardiff and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London. It is interesting to note that the Globe Theatre tour is the first one we have completed entirely using High Dynamic Range 360º’s.

Commercial image content

We like to experiment within our artwork and this philosophy extends to where our images can be seen. SoundArt UK produce high-end flat panel speaker systems, while Commodore Gaming have recently returned to the computer gaming market with their high-spec image wrapped computers. Both companies have products that we feel are creative and innovative and fit with our ideas of doing something different. Selections of our artworks appear in both companies online catalogues from which the public can choose.

Limited edition art prints

We have a wide range of images, sizes and print finishes on our website, from which the public can purchase our artworks.

Photospheres

These are aimed at the corporate and high-end marketing campaign fields, with a range of uniquely visually arresting opportunities within the festival and events market. We are working with a couple of companies in order to promote this new product and have high hopes to see this concepts uses expand over the coming months.

Can you tell us more about your customer acquisition strategy?

Not really as if we’re honest we don’t have one! I guess the best we can say is a combination of constant self-promotion, consistent quality results, word of mouth and a touch of luck.

Does anyone out there want to discuss giving us some work?

To be honest we’re learning the process of ‘business’ everyday and when we make mistakes we try to learn from them.

Future projects on the horizon?

Developing Ghosts in Armour.

The primary exhibition venue is to be The Riverfront Arts Centre in Newport, South Wales. However we are hoping to extend the project to include Bilbao in northern Spain next year, which would involve us travelling to Bilbao to create our first European photosphere. This idea is something we are very excited about.

Site-specific festival art project

Another area we are developing the photosphere concept towards is the festival market as on-site art pieces. We are currently in talks with a festival about a plan to install up to 5 2-meter photospheres as site-specific art pieces. This project is based on the festival own ethos of ‘Leave no trace’ which put simply means that all litter etc, is cleared from the site after the festival has ended. The basic idea it to photograph the site before the festivities arrive and display the photospheres during the event to highlight the ‘Leave no trace’ campaign, through the spheres representation of the unaltered sites beauty.


I was wondering, you show the equirectangular images on your site, various of them would be great to view interactively is this a specific artistic choice means you don't want them to be seen as interactive panorama?

Our website is template driven and does not currently allow for interactive panoramas or video files although we use another ‘background’ website to upload and run these types of files. We are planning to add some of the 360º’s as VR’s as we are passionate about the mediums unique interactive ability but unfortunately have not found the time to do this side of the website.

We love the VR format but not being Web developers we had a lot of trouble finding a company that had a template we liked and finding the time to add extra contain is a real nightmare. The joy’s of running a business!
We have plenty of VR’s and would be delighted to exploit these for the first time on VR Mag.

Links:
WrightGeorge.com
Email: wrightgeorge360 at googlemail.com