Hologram!

It’s not an exhibition brainstorming meeting until someone yells out:

Hey, what about a … hologram!

Usually that’ll be a donor or a non-technical member of the development team, bless their souls. But ironically, nearly every “hologram” you will ever see in person, or in a movie, or in a Google search … isn’t one.

A real hologram is a photograph taken with laser light, which is then printed and lit with a laser (or focused spotlight). Forgery-resistant documents sometimes have crude versions of these. Real holograms aren’t common, but good ones are amazing. More on that science here if you’re brave.

Almost every other kind of “hologram” isn’t one. For example:

> Projecting a flat visual onto “holopro” translucent film.

> Flat projections onto mist or smoke, aka “poor man’s R2D2”.

> The classic pepper’s ghost trick. Great when done well, but not a hologram.

> Spinning LED fans. May I never see another.

> Those huge 3D LED billboards. They’re just anamorphic videos.

Here’s the thing:
It’s not an exhibition brainstorm until somebody yells out “hologram!”

But most things called that … aren’t.

Warmly,
Jonathan

P.S. ICYMI, by popular vote, MtM is now Tu-We-Th. See you Tu!