Junk Lens — How to recycle ?

After digital revolution,  analogue age old lenses become almost a junk. 

Simply,  the camera  and the lens today are too different from their predecessor.

As the lens has to work with the camera which got so many functions therefore

the lens also needs to function such as auto focus, electronically position controlled

F-aperture, distance-coded focus not mention high zoom ratio, of which the zoom

position was also electronically coded. (Those code were used to control Flash-light)

= In order to deal with all those electronics, the lens having its own microchip and

able to communicate with camera’s main CPU.  

Without having those electronics, lens couldn’t be used on the camera —– except 

Canon EOS   (It can take any lens include a Pinhole in AV-Mode,  of course with

manual mode as well.  — But,  Nikon couldn’t make even a single image out of pinhole,  

without giving quite  complicated procedure to set-up the camera side. )  

Though, don’t misunderstand,  even today,  the optics is still optics, it works on the 

same principal,  hence  if you get a convex lens and concave lens scavenged out of old

camera lens, it would make a telescope for a kids to experiment.  Or use them to project

an image or focus LED light etc etc. 

[]

The lens design has also changed a lot such as the use of aspherical lens  (in fact most

of them are a so-called Compound lens,  aspherically moulded plastic was stacked on

a glass lens) —– nevertheless, I admit, today’s lens is very well designed in deed.

(Though, why they became so big and heavy ? — considering, how compact camera

became so small and light, while able to take more or less the same picture.    😀 ) 

In those aspects,  may be there is no point to give a damn to the old lens though, still,

such as  F-aperture diaphragm has changed almost nothing (only driving mechanism

may have changed to motor etc.   And the front lens is still, good achromatic lens.  

Not mention the focusing helicoid which is impossible to make by ourselves,  still

having lots of use, not only in the photography.

= We can scavenge a lots out of such old lens.  —– As a matter of fact, good old 

non-plastic lens is far easier to disassemble and Re-use.   (Plastic built lenses were

NOT designed to be serviced as they were built by snap fit or heat-weld.)  

(Lens above is a Canon TV lens, it must had a price of many thousands of pounds. )

The best thing is,  we can find those old lens in a camera shop’s junk box,

with a price of couple of pounds, if not free. 

 To disassemble those lens, there may not need to have more than small

+ AND – screw drivers.  (but need to use the brain a lot = it is a puzzling game) 

In coming posts, I’ll show you what I’m going to do with those “Components”

saved from old lens.

[]

Heavy Assignment — Winding Grip for Hasselblad

When I mentioned my “One hand Shooting” somebody accused me saying that I’m

bluffing such as Hasselbrad couldn’t be used by one hand. —– On that post, I didn’t

go into the details as the post was talking about the flash-light.  

Well, the photo above is the set-up of my “Mid grade shooting”. (I used to make a

joke  “Photo job is just like a set menu = ingredients and the price is accordingly,  

(in Japanese expression, 松, 竹, 梅 定食 / Pine, Bamboo, Plum set).  Pine set uses

either 5″x4″ or Pentax 6×7  with two or three studio flashes, heaviest tripod and an

assistant, therefore the charge would be in the order of thousand+,  Plum set would

be hand-held Pentax 6×7 or 6×6 Hasselblad with may be two lenses. (it depends —)   

Bamboo set is by 35mm camera with Agfa Flash-light — still with umbrella.    🙂

[]

I’ve been using my Hasselblad with modified winding grip.  Hence, right hand alone

can wind and click the camera.  Left hand having the flash though, this flash (with

umbrella) can be instantly joined to the camera bracket hence free the left hand to

adjust the focus, or with the aid of focusing handle, even right-hand holding the grip, 

stretched finger can easily adjust the focus.  (Shutter speed and F-setting will

be done on the beginning as the flash has an auto control, and the lighting in the

room or in the event is more or less constant )

—– Once get used, there was no problem.

[]

 This winding grip was originally for the Bronica camera and I modified it for

Hasselblad.  (in order to couple with grip’s mechanism,  wind-up nob of Hasselblad

was also modified)  

And in the photo, the Prism Finder which looks a bit odd, was originally for Cowa SIX

camera. (I put Flash-light Ready-indicator to this Prism Finder through Hot-Shoe as

well —– click a camera before the flash-light was ready, and loose one frame is not

a joke, considering 120-6×6 film gives only 12 frames / 220 Film gives 24 frames )

——– (Photo above :  Olympus T45 with 70cm Umbrella to use on a light-stand)

—– As long as it works reliably, it is enough for my use.   Cosmetics is out of scope.

Though, to use a camera in such arrangement  (Flash-light is Olympus T45, the most

powerful and quick-charged flush then) is literally deadly heavy to the hand. 

= It was a price to pay for the quality, but it also justify the charge.  (Trouble of the boss

in the Japanese companies are, they themselves got pretty expensive camera such as

top Nikon or Leica, still they never seen the monster like this = it makes them to

convince that the professional is totally different,  and to pay for its quality.)  😀

[] 

To put some effort to make everyday’s work more comfortable and to improve the

quality, it is what Buddhist calls  [Mindfulness]  to be a life in photographer.  

And those modification work, by hand-tool is a bit by bit work, rather simple manual

work = typical Zen Buddhist’s practice.     So, I would say, it’s better than to spend the

time than to watch useless TV program (anyhow I don’t have a TV  🙂 ) or drinking in

a Pub (neither I drink alcohol or fizzy drink).  = This is the Zen attitude to the life.

Still, I wouldn’t say I’ve achieved something much more than watching TV though,

for me it was a better fun, actually able to see a tangible results.   😉

—– By the way, this Hasselblad was internally half modified, hence I couldn’t sell,

since remained in my hand, together with an EL Body, 250mm lens and 5 of 70mm

film-magazines etc. which nobody wanted to buy — now I got nice antic collection,

starting from Red bellows Kodak Folding No.1 etc, hundred of the antic cameras.  😀

—– it’s mean, some Zennist still got bad habit = collecting junks !  —– I think, to pay

respect to the inventor of each cameras and to guess how those people found the

way to design, and its thinking process  is a very interesting mind-game. 

[] 

Flying Angel — Wire Figure

This is my Angel,  yet another wire-figure I made on 2007.  (So, those photos were

taken by that old Kodak camera, and the photos were clopped —- hence, pretty low

quality photos)  But not PSed, the figure was really in the air (hanged from the tree).

When I brought this to a gathering of Dorkbot, the figure made a well known artist

Anne Bean, frozen 5 min—– ( I was frightened, such good artist can memorize all the

structure and able to make identical copy  🙂 )  

Strangely you may found, this lady has no neck.   Her right hand holding the head.  🙂

Wire used was  1.6mm garden wire,  and I was planned to make it x5 size, it’s mean

life-size,  by 8mm copper tube though, I realized that, if I made this in my room,

I can’t take it out  😀

—– One day, when I got big studio, I’ll do it (though, seemingly never happen  😀 )

[]

Development of Foetus

Well, I meant not a baby but wire-Figure in Foetus Posture. 

Unlike a body posture spreading limbs, Foetus posture might be more awkward to

make sense, because it might become just like a pill of wire.  —– So, I tested how it

could be made simple and still convincingly looks like a human-figure.  — The first

study above was made its back and the legs separately, so each did look “likely” shape.

(I found, in Foetus posture, it doesn’t need to have a head —- We think head was

buried between the shoulder.   🙂 )

Then, the second attempt was how to reconcile the joint of upper-body and the legs.

—– This one was not successful or smart enough though.

The head was accommodated in the third model.

Looks not yet streamlined enough —– though,

so far this is the final piece called Foetus.

[]

Drawing with Invisible Force

[]

This is a wonderful watercolour drawing by Elene Caravela, which I found in her blog:

elenacaravela.wordpress.com      (Quality sake,  please see her Original Drawing there)

Elena has been one of the most prolific artist and the blogger who showed Watercolors, Oil paintings,

Photographs = very wide coverage of genre in very high quality work.

In the past year or so, I always impressed, even amazed by her drawings,

how her almost whimsical free blush strokes able to capture such vivid and also

realistic human figure. —– What is the secret of her creation ?

[]

To my comment and a notice that I want to re-blog —– she gave me her reply ;

[]

I’d be flattered Yoshi. I guess, I plan in my head a bit to make sure the figure will fit on the page

(mentally count out head size both vertically and horizontally, but really loosely).

Then see the movement on the spine and extremities. The force takes over.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t   🙂

[]

—– As she said, she might have given some consideration to the size of the

head etc. = here the thinking stops, then “the Force takes over”

To see her blush work, there is no hesitation, its quick movement some times creates even

the paint splash or drip. (in another piece) = blush and the hand moves perfectly spontaneous.

So, —— in such spontaneous blush stroke, look again the drawing above, = one blush stroke

perfectly depicted the body-line to the round bottom. — I guess, here not only the

direction of the blush movement, also it involved certain control of the pressure to the blush

and its twists, which determine the width of the line. (though, only a guess — I know the way how

to use curving chisels but not necessary the drawing blush 🙂 ) — all in the moment of one stroke!

This phenomenal control was done by the invisible Force, not possible by a human thinking.

[]

Spontaneity mean, there is no intentional control or thinking. —– This is nothing other than what

Lord Buddha taught = the state of Selfless / Mushin, therefore “The Force takes over”

= this Force is what Buddhists call the Dharma ! (or the Rules of the Universe)

The moment when the blush and the subject meet, the tension and the heat created

on that moment, drives the blush wild. = and creates dynamic impressive piece.

(consideration or useless thinking such as what others or market may think etc. spoil the tension

and the heat, hence makes the piece dull)

But Elena got perfect freedom not bothered by useless thinking, and I guess, when her blush was

driven by the Force, even she, herself may not able to control = blush got its own mind and move

almost automatically.    That is how she creates such impressive work = It’s wild, as it was driven

by the Force of artistic nature. 🙂     That is what the art of Elena stands out.

[]

By the way, don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying Elena’s work is anything to do with Buddhism.

Far from it, the state of Selflessness is one of the inherent human psychological nature.

Buddhism applied it to more general aspects of the life.   Not only the superb blush work, we can

achieve the superb life with it.  = Quite similar to that Love is not because of the Christianity, but

they applied it to much deeper spiritual level.

Zen Buddhism pushed the potential of Selflessness to its extremities.  

—– That is what the Zen Buddhism is. 

[]

Elena has acquired this state of mind while drawing / practicing again and again,

probably  tens of the thousands of  times.  Hence, the Buddhism using the same way of

the approach = practice it again and again until the hand started to move automatically.

= Hand moves automatic = without thinking = without self conscious = Selflessness.

In the  Selflessness, invisible force takes over.  This force is the Dharma. = Under

the control of the Dharma, phenomenal freedom and the result can be achieved.

This is how the  Selflessness in the  Zen Buddhism works.

[]

Handmade Flash System (3) — Macro Flash

In the close-up photography, the exposure was a headache before the TTL metering was invented.    Still, the use of flash-light remained yet another headache —– until TTL auto flash-light was developed.    (When the lens was close-focused, effective F-aperture changes logarithmically (= life-size shot darken 2 F-stop, unless the lens was designed using internal flow focusing system) and the flash-light intensity changes in distance also logarithmically ( = brightness on 0.5m is x4 brighter than it was in 1m distance)  Yet still, in practice, even those TTL flash-light was not necessary convenient to use for the close-ups, as they were not designed to be used in such close distance.

In the other hand, lens has been well advanced to have even extreme close-up, almost to the lens front though, in such close-up position, the big lens front block the light to the very subject.

= flash head has to be positioned, close to the subject.

[]As a matter of fact, close-up photography and its equipments are the cash-cow of the camera manufacturer. = The most of the people who “need” to do the close-up photography is the public institutes,  doing scientific research or even police forensic photography etc.

Therefore, they pay the equipments what they were asked —– anyhow it’s not their money.  (hence, they are so expensive, and creating so much profit.)

And in those scientific photographic front, the use of flash-light was much more preffered over other light-source such as tungsten light, because of the flash-light has no heat problem, and the xenon flash-light contain much more UV or near UV light which is often used for fluorescent effect of certain chemical, hence extremely important for forensic and medical photography.

[]But for a poor man on the street, those Macro Light from camera manufacturer is too expensive, even though, structurally they are not so special. =

So here, yet again, comes the same motto, WHY NOT make it ourselves.

(Though, here is a very strong WARNING !   Electronic flash is a Hi-Voltage  lethal device, even if it was powered by batteries, some of the parts, inside are having more than 300V. And in operation, when it was triggered, some of the lines carries 3~4000V ! = Unless, you are very experienced in Hi-voltage circuit, I wouldn’t recommend you even open the housing of flash.

—– before handle, the capacitors has to be completely discharged through 1K, 5W register) ( I got many experiences of repairing studio-type flash, up to 5000WS, which discharges 1200V and handmade 600WS studio flash for my use. —– I’ll show it to you in another post.)

[]This macro flash was made with an easiest straight approach.

Just take the flash-head out and devised it to mount on the lens front that all.

Still, it rotates (and fixed) any position on front of the lens, and the head also rotates in two axis hence it enable the flash-head aiming to the subject, or rotate it upward and a paper stack to its head would make more natural diffused light as well.

The base of this modification was Nikon SB18 hence it works perfect as a TTL Macro Flash with old F3, FEII, F801 etc. etc. though, as Nikon changed the design of their flash control system in their digital camera, this one doesn’t work with such as latest D810.(so, the photo above may be misleading. 😉 ) May be I should make the same using their latest and cheapest flash. (in fact, structure of the flash head is all same, only 3 cables connected to the tube, I can connect this head even to a Canon flash.)  ( So that, the photo above is just an illustration of mechanically “how it was constructed” and no sample photo of how this Macro Light works 😉 )

[]Funny story of this was, when I showed this to the Nikon (UK), their boss Mr. Obara was annoying so much and said “How come, you buy such cheap flash!” but their engineer was burst into a laughing  “Yes, this is what all about the Macro Flash in deed” and said “You got far better skill than our prototyping engineer” —– though, it was 1986, just before my trouble started. Then I gave-up my photography, and most of my possessions were gone to storage if not sold, hence, there was even a single photo done by this flash ever existed. So that, when I found this in the bottom of cartoon box, I felt a bit of amazement and the sadness.  —– One’s life has all sorts of twist and turns in deed.

(Yet still, I’m glad, my fun loving creativity and the skill on my hand didn’t die with it.)

[]

Hand-made Bag

This not a museum piece from the Captain Scot’s camp.  

This is a bag I made about 1976 and used over 10 years since.

Unless I was on a Shooting assignment to carry full gear,

I only needed to carry A5 size Duplicate Notebook and,

may be just one Nikon with wide angle lens. — Only to carry

little things, ordinary bag on the market was too big.

Then I found a leather-goods shop selling  off-cut leather,

I decided to make one, fit to my use.

[]

 —– To make a bag out of off-cut pieces need to have just

a cut and stitch work though, being off-cut, the leather

pieces are  irregular shaped mixed sizes,

I needed to do a jig-saw puzzle first, to make required, workable

flat piece of leather.  And how to design such as closing fitting

on the top flap was the another fun.  🙂  

(I used the same key system for the small coin-purse too.)

[]

—– Whether you convinced or not, this is a Zen practice.  

When making it, there wouldn’t be any other thoughts.  (Mindfulness)

And while stitching it, just fingers were working.  (Mushin)

Considering the time spent, it wouldn’t make much financial gain nor

as it is not a kind of Master piece to show-off, it’s far from any Arrogance.

Still it was a fully absorbed commitment to deal with the material and the work.  

So, it was, I would say in Ichijo. ( Oneness = Non Duality )

[]

—– Forget the brah brah, anyway the bag worked well, for its purpose

and it was my good companion for rather long time on my life.

___/\___

[] 

Test of Selflessness

While looking for a hint to see what was the mind-set of

Lord Buddha, here and there such as in

the Agama Sutra, I stumbled that

Lord Buddha had intentionally not revealing

his intention preventing the followers become

“head big brah brah person”.

[]

An episode in the Argama, which was — In a rainy night

Lord Buddha told a disciple, Ananda that he is going for

a walk. (without telling where or what for.)

To follow him, Ananda came out carrying umbrella and

torch-fire.  Everybody in the sangha followed as well,

each carrying umbrella and a torch, as they have been

accustomed to follow their teacher. —– After a while

walking up a hill, and saw all of his followers were there,

Lord Buddha smiled.   Then Ananda asked him,

“Great Teacher never smiled without a reason. So,why

this time ?” but he received no answer why.

[]

Lord Buddha has, in fact, tested

the followers reaction and their progress.

Even under a condition, not nice for a walk, still all

the followers actually followed him.  Which was an

indication of that, everybody had sublimated his

teachings and able to do it in practice.

—– What was the crux of teaching ?

= Without asking why or what for, despite in a rainy

night, just follow unconditionally, was a proof of that

everybody has reached to the Selfless state of the mind,

hence able to respond the situation as it’s happened.  

(As he saw the sign, that the teachings has

worked perfect, so, smiled.)

[]

Lord Buddha had such a good insight of human mind.

That was why he never explained the intention why,

or the logic behind of it. —– Once he explained and gave

a verbal key, the followers remember it as a buzz-word

and become head-big, then the thinking start to

control their behaviour which is nothing but a

sham or superficial pretence.

Buddhism is not a religion of Dogma of which followers

have to read and remember and recite the words, but the

Buddhism changes one’s psyche down to the subconscious

level through the practice. (= not behave what was told by

the Dogma or Rules, but naturally do it unconsciously)

If followers knew that it is a test to check whether the one

can respond at once without questioning and to follow

in the state of Selflessness. —– it can be mimicked and

easily pretended while competing with others.

(Look at me, I can do this. I’m better than you —–

this arrogance is the most remote from the Buddhist’s mind.)

[]

This episode clearly showed the essence of the Buddhism,

hence it become clear, how unfortunate the followers

of especially Zen Buddhism today.  = Knowing that

the Zen is to get Mushin etc. brah brah, it is 

completely opposite to get Mushin, let alone Zen.

If the one has a conscious of “I’m in Mushin”, it is not

Mushin at all.   It is the same to tell “I’m doing the sitting

in silence” (—– If so, shut up.   Just sit ! :-D)

[]

To master the Zen, you may need to be thrown into a

situation, where you were forced to do something utterly

boring repeating work (as a volunteer ?)

—– after you became able to do the work almost like an

automatic machine (while knowing, it’s useless to complain)

—– then need to realize “Aha, this the Selfless state

of Mushin” ! = So, it is even better if it looks most unlikely

set-up to do Zen, which would prevent to hold any pretence.

(In my case, it has happened while I was working in a

mountain shelter, cutting log, and in Disco dancing. 😀

= I was lucky, similar to Huineng who was placed to work

in the kitchen of the Monastery.)

[]

—– In fact, sitting in a temple to learn Zen is the worst

setting to learn, since such conscious of

“I‘m doing Zen” prevent the person to get rid of

such notion and the thinking.

It’s exactly the same irony = try to get cured in a hospital

where all sorts of infectious germs, viruses has been

brought in and more concentrated than anywhere else.  😀

[]

—– And in the same context, what I’m writing here

could be quite harmful to a novice, as I’m revealing the

trade secret,  while analysing mechanism of

the psyche in the Zen, utterly contrary to

Lord Buddha’s silent smile, aforesaid —– still, this

may be help the people who is studying psychology.

= So, it may need to put a health warning.

“Experienced Adult only” 😀 )

But this is what this Blog is, using my own mind as

a guinea-pig to figure-out what the Zen is. !

(Try to see Zen, objectively is not in Ichijo in Zen,

therefore the most remote from own Enlightenment.)

[]

(And that was why master Kogetsu damned me, that I

can get no Enlightenment ! — but, What’s wrong ? 😀

Get an enlightenment may help mere one person,

but to those millions of the people, who has been

mislead by a mixed-up-Buddhism, to open their eyes

could be a crucial matter.

and that must be the will of

Lord Buddha and the Dharma.)

___/\___

[]

PS :  Friend asked me at once “So, is it useless and

hopeless to attempt to learn ZEN at all now ?”  

“Not at all. Don’t try ZEN but just clean your

room or kitchen.  🙂

Make it perfectly clean and do it everyday”

And read this post.(link)

[]

Reverse Engineering of ZEN

As I often wrote before, my approach to Zen Buddhism is a

way of reverse-engineering = disassembling a product to

analyse the structure and components etc. to find the reason

why it was designed in such a way, for what purpose and for

what advantage.

Then able to see even a philosophy behind of it.

[]

In a case of Zen, to see what sort of practice in such as

Tea-making or Martial-art etc. which were well known to be

a part of Zen culture, and see what is the common factor and

common philosophy, how they are related to Zen teachings.

—– from those observation, it was

easy to see that the key-word was the [Mushin], and

to attain, it was achieved by the years of repeated practice.

—– But, what repeated practice to do with [Mushin] ?

[]

For me, it took many years of search until I connected it to

the neurological phenomenon, which is the threshold of the

perception rose against the same repeated signal, and

become immune to it.

It was almost an Eureka moment to me. —– With this,

how the emotional tension decay after while, or how we get

used and overcome a fear, even become apathetic, all became

clear and able to make straight connection to the Zen.

Then, I realized that this is the reason why all the Buddhism

sects are using the endless repeating practice as a part of their

teachings.  (whether chanting the same or banging the drum,

walking round and round etc etc —–

Lord Buddha said to have used the way of breathing as a practice)

—– All for getting the state of [Mushin]. —– And I realized

that the continuous action such as cutting the log in a mountain

shelter, or even Disco-dancing which automatically reflect to each

element of music I did, had in deed having had the same effects.

[]

Mushin is not only to abandon the thinking process

but more importantly, it disconnects perception 

(coming signal) to the emotion. = This is exactly what

Buddhism says [Detachment] which is behind the

[8 Right path]. (I wouldn’t presume that, it included a

Disco-dancing though. 😀 )

And as a neurological fact, detached emotion cause a

detachment even from a conscious of Self and the own belongings.

= Detachment from primordial Instincts, Ego and

Greed, is exactly the State of [Selflessness] and not 

attached to any fixed tendency is the [Middle-way] = 

Hence, all the peculiar phenomena in the Buddhism became clear.

(In fact, all those [Mushin], [Selflessness], [Middle-way] even

[Mindfulness] are all created by the [Detachment] of the nerve

signal from the Emotion = actually they are the same one

phenomenon, but named it seeing from different angles.)

[]

As all those phenomena was the core of

the Buddhism teachings, it’s mean,

Lord Buddha did know all those mechanism in our mind

though, to trace back all those to his teachings in the scripture

is not straight forward, such as metaphor and his real wording

may not been correctly recorded and translated.

—– A description in the Vimalakirti Sutra “If you have a mind

that you are giving, it is not true giving” or in a typical

Mahayana expression “Giving as not-giving is the giving” are

in fact all meant “Giving in Mushin or in Selflessness”

(without conscious of action).

—– All the religion require the active mind-set, “Complete

attachment to the Belief which was written” but only the

Buddhism teaches [Detachment] = this is the very

distinctive point though, to describe something

which is not there = [Empty mind] is very difficult.

[]

The trouble of the Buddhism is, virtually no reliable written

record exists.   It’s a pile of hearsay after 10^th, 100^th of Chinese

whisper.  🙂   And seemingly, the person, good in writing may

not be the person who actually reached Mushin or Selflessness

— otherwise such as Abidharma-kosa was never been written.

And on top of this, even though the matter is all in the depth

of murky subconsciousness, there was no understanding of

psychology neither a notion or word to describe was existed then.

[]

In such an environment, to pretend to be a Master and boast,

creating yet another Mantras was very easy, but to disprove

it was difficult. = all came down to the political power game of

the sects. Winner takes all and justify their righteousness,

regardless of its authenticity —– hence, created utter

mixed-up-Buddhism (in fact, it was a Tantra mixed Hinduism

with some idea from the Buddhism)

for a sake of populism and a commercial success. =

(It’s easier to sell, “This God would save you” than “Need to

know, Suffering is not exists” —– after a death nobody ever

came back to complain “God wasn’t there”= So, its sale’s point

has never been disproved and able to keep assume that the

dead are in Heaven. 😀 )

[]

Obviously, it is necessary to re-examine and to see what was

the original teachings, even though it might be yet another

guess work. —– Still, my approach, which is based on the

neurological mechanism, can explain all the Buddhism

phenomena. —– If not what else could explain it ?

(Leaving the matter to mythical unknown power and

its blessing ? —– Joking !  We are in the 21^st century ! )

[]

This neurological, psychological response is common to

all human being (hence it was described that everybody

born with it) it is applicable to anybody and many area of

human activities. (In fact it has been used a lot.)

And it will prove that the Buddhism has a tangible substance.

(unlike any other religion, which is based on a fantasy which

is only exists if it was believed) —– As the Buddhism is based

on the tangible substance, not on the imagination or belief,

it was often classified as a philosophy not a religion.

___/\___

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Line-Drawing = Precursor to Wire Figure

Somebody asked me how I got the first imagination to create

a Wire Figure like “St. Lucia”.

In fact there is a Spanish painting (by Zulbaran ?) of a woman who was hit

by the Good’s revelation.  The design or her posture was after this painting.

But to make it as a wire figure there was a long accumulation of practice to

configure human body into simple contour lines.

(It was not came from Manga drawings)  😀

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Those line-Drawings were created around 1993, soon after my court case

for which I had to sell most of my professional cameras and lenses =

it’s mean I became out of business.  (I fought this case up to the Court of

Appeal without lawyer, since I didn’t know I could get Legal Aide and

didn’t need to sell livelihood. = demerit of  DIY.  Ha ha ha.   🙂 )

Out of business mean I got plenty time but not much money.  

So, I did quite a lots of drawings which costs virtually nothing.

But before this, there was an interesting discussion with

other photographers

“How we can figure out dark faint image or just a contour to

particular object ?”

“How do we know a curved one line to such as woman’s front

body or back ?”

“Is it a pattern recognition or intuitive creativity

to make-up an image ?”

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—– so, I experimented to draw the line, simplified to the limit,

no longer recognizable to any meaningful figure.  

Or figured out the minimum, still able to convey the meaning.

And found that the same line could be seen in the different meaning

or can be seen as other part of the figure.

—– strange discovery was that even if it is utterly illogical,

as long as it contain the recognizable parts, our brain

accepts it as what we normally understand as a pattern.

May be because our brain is not necessary seeing the things

(or drawing) as it is, but reconfigure it as we understand.  

Our thinking or even first-hand perception is never free

but always “Wishful” !

= We see the things as what we wants to see.

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So, the drawing above center, [Two headed woman] = our brain

accepts it as “One woman is facing front with her left hand swing back

and other woman stretching her right hand front” =

our brain never reject it all together with a reason of its 

irrationality,  but try to process each woman independently.  

Because, we are not familiar with two headed woman, the brain

ignore the conflict and stick to see it is two different woman

just happen to be in the same place, while try to think,

“She twisted her front body completely backward”.

—– So, it is a joint operation of our eyes and the brain =

the eye’s detailed vision is only the centre of our vision, about 20 degree

and the peripheral area is rather vague. = very similar phenomenon to 

selectively listen the voice among the other noise.   

(Please test it yourself  🙂 )

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The drawing right was my challenge (in the matter of imagination,

not a drawing or painting skill :-)) to Bosch who showed surrealistic

image in the hell, still never go to this kind of illogical confusion. 😀

—– Even Dalli couldn’t go beyond a crèche.

(May be from a religious restriction, God’s creation shouldn’t have

such freak.) If you see only a part of this drawing while hiding the rest,

your eyes accepts the image. —– One line could be a line of the hand

but it is also the line of the thigh etc.

Our brain ignore the part which is not taking part to configure one

image. ( —– And this is  what all about the Rorschach Inkblot Test =

pick up the pattern in a part, and make up familiar  image in the brain.)

= this function creates a monster from a vague image of a tree

in the woods. = we only pick-up the element which is enough to

configure monster and disregards the rests so, we see a monster.  

Seeing is believing — is it ?

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Some of you might see the top drawing as a kind of Hindu Goddess,

hence may be accept this image straight.   It looks strange though,

if you hide one side, it may not so strange. —– (She supposedly

sitting on a lotus flower though, I have not finished it yet.)

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With those (in fact 300 of ) drawings behind, to conceive and

configure the wire figure was not far away.  

And to draw 300 drawings in the same approach, it has to

get somewhere. = Zen would say

“Even rain drops can curve a rock ” 🙂

—– Drawing was done and each line was adjusted by way of copying

it on the light-box again and again until it become perfect (well, sort of)

so that those 300 are not 300 different images but lots of slightly

different same pictures.  = It was a process of step by step Kaizen.

If I were a real master of drawing, I could have done perfect drawing

straight though I wasn’t, I had to take slower process.

— May be draw a perfect circle looks much more like a Zen Master

though, I needed to know human perception, not a holy pretence. 🙂

And this approach gave me an opportunity to analyze how

we feel different if the line was slightly different or

the same line could be seen in different context. 

So, it was really interesting and a fun. 😀

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