Portal to Elliot Concord River Preserve is a trompe-l’œil three-stage lenticular public art intervention by Dan Vlahos, Senior Lecturer of English and Media Studies at Bentley University. This work is currently installed in the lower level of Bentley’s Lindsay Hall—just footsteps from the University’s Film and Media Studies Lab. This work was funded through a private research grant from the Academic Advisory Council for Signage Research and Education (AACSRE)—a 501(3)c not-for-profit organization founded in 2015. The three images used to generate this portal were captured on a nature trail within the Elliott Concord River Preserve in Carlisle, MA.
To attain the rough proportions of a “door” a 1.33X anamorphic photo lens was used to capture the high-resolution imagery. When “desqueezed” the imagery has a 2.4:1 ratio. While anamorphic lenses are primarily known for their cinematic landscape proportions and unique bokeh effects, using the lens to capture portrait images for the portal project was found to be ideal. Conceptually, the work strives to be illogically logical and dynamic without power. It also suggests that the whimsical, discursive, and subversive can live alongside evidence-based design.
As part of this research and as a 2024 AACSRE Emerging Fellow, the artist is gathering responses and reactions to the work. This is a 3-5 minute 100% anonymous Google Forms survey. In the fall of 2025, a case study with detailed information about this project will be published in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Signage and Wayfinding. All responses are greatly appreciated.
Media—
Specifications and Credits—
- Lenticular printing: Visual Creative Graphics Innovations, San Jose, CA
- Research Advisor: Ellen Babcock, Associate Professor: Art Practices, Department of Art, College of Fine Arts, The University of New Mexico
- Camera: Fujifilm X-S10
- Lens: SIRUI 24mm F2.8 Anamorphic (X-Mount)
FILED IN: Art
