As the project began, Omar wanted to document the process of the creation of Vessel. Every aspect was captured over the 9 month process. As the piece neared completion, Eric kept looking at the large aluminum sheet from which the symbols were cut as it sat in the corner waiting for recycling. The idea arose to create a second piece, the Vessel Lightbox, of equal size but that provided a completely new viewing experience. The idea was to create a custom “shadow box” that was skillfully engineered to allow a LED light system to shine through the missing Arabic symbols. Controllable through an app on an iphone, the owner can configure the piece to shine in a variety of colors and movements at the touch of a button that looks incredible at night. During the day, the viewer can enjoy the same holographic movement as the original piece with a faint glow of the LED’s on the surface. The duality of the work really is night and day.
As the project began, Omar wanted to document the process of the creation of Vessel. Every aspect was captured over the 9 month process. As the piece neared completion, Eric kept looking at the large aluminum sheet from which the symbols were cut as it sat in the corner waiting for recycling. The idea arose to create a second piece, the Vessel Lightbox, of equal size but that provided a completely new viewing experience. The idea was to create a custom “shadow box” that was skillfully engineered to allow a LED light system to shine through the missing Arabic symbols. Controllable through an app on an iphone, the owner can configure the piece to shine in a variety of colors and movements at the touch of a button that looks incredible at night. During the day, the viewer can enjoy the same holographic movement as the original piece with a faint glow of the LED’s on the surface. The duality of the work really is night and day.
Vessel
The Dar Project - 1 of 3
- 60x96x1” (Framed)
- Oil and Varnish on Aluminum
- Created 2021
Vessel
Lightbox
The Dar Project - 2 of 3
- 60x96x4
- Oil, Varnish, Wood, Enamel, and
LED Light Strips
- Created 2021
Echo
The Dar Project - 3 of 3
Created 2021
“Echo,” The Dar Project NFT video, is a visual interpretation of the Islamic call to prayer and the process of going through the practice of prayer. The video is filmed entirely off the physical work of art, the Vessel Lightbox, and then layered with effects in post-production. It’s a nod to the physical piece itself, but stands on its own as a visual work of digital art, set on a 29 second loop.
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The video begins with a section of the painting in its raw form, without lights activated, representing one’s mind before the ritual of prayer. As the video begins, the symbols illuminate and move around the frame representing the thoughts in one’s mind that begin to form and dissipate within consciousness. This process repeats until a rhythm forms and a clear mind comes to fruition. Symbols in the video begin to ebb and flow into blurry blobs of light, while the large symbol of Allah continues to present itself in the middle of the frame—the main focus of prayer. Eventually, the state of steady mental focus and clarity is reached as all symbols dissolve into unrecognizable patterns of light and color.
The
Making of
The makers
eric breish, Artist/NFT Creator
Eric is a multi-disciplinary artist based out of San Antonio, TX. Eric works primarily in metal based art, but incorporates other mediums like painting, collage, digital design and photography into his varying bodies of work to create a unique visual aesthetic. Eric’s work can be found in private and public collections around the world.
ericbreish.com / @eric_breish_art
chris lopez, Cinematographer/Editor
Chris is a filmmaker based out of San Antonio, TX. He founded Squinted Cinema to create exploratory storytelling through all mediums of film production. A visual curator of moving moments, Lopez’s work articulates his artistic expression that resonates with connection and collaboration with others to help find their purpose through motion storytelling.
squintedcinema.com / @squintedcinema