Blofeld’s Cat
Explorations of the Visual Materiality of Holograms
Can physical properties and behaviours be visualized, in order to achieve a more natural feeling of interaction with holograms? Digital artefacts that merge with our physically present environment, and are detached from classical displays, imply a certain inherent but non-existent materiality. This thesis explores the incongruence between the visually perceived materiality and the physical absences of holograms. It shows how material properties of real-world objects could be simulated visually in holograms in order to increase a more natural feeling of interaction. This has been achieved by a material synthesizer that can generate various holographic materials, which makes it possible to investigate the visual materiality of holograms. The results are presented in a fictional scenario that includes prototypical holographic office toys for malicious and megalomaniac corporate overlords.
