By Emily Carlill
Put on some 3D glasses and take a wander around the treasure trove that is Scrap in Farsley to discover some interesting new features and items… but are they really there?
From an idea that originated for ‘I Love West Leeds’ festival, local artist Sam Paechter has been developing his skills in creating anamorphic anaglyphs: a complex process of manipulating the colours and shape of off-set photographs to produce an image that the brain recognises as 3D.
With funding from the Leeds City Council’s Leeds Inspired grant, ‘Illusion’ is an installation commissioned by the Farsley Festival team originally planned to feature on Hainsworth Park during the Festival in 2020.
But due to the COVID pandemic, neither the festival or the installation took place. Two years later, it was decided by both the Festival team and the artist to offer this as an extra event to the local community in addition to the festival. Fiona Killen, Chair of the Farsley Festival team explains:
“We’ve been waiting two years to see this installation and can’t wait to get our 3D glasses on. We’d originally planned for this to be part of Farsley Festival in 2020. It’s thanks to the Leeds Inspired Fund and Scrap that we can offer this artwork experience for free.
“As well as so much going on at the Festival and over the Jubilee weekend, we thought it would be a shame if the installations were lost amongst all the other activities. We also wanted to be able to offer the community something extra and something a little different and Scrap is the perfect place to host this! We are showcasing local talent and local businesses.”
Sam has placed a number of 3D images, including a dog and a baby, around the space that blend with their surroundings so it’s hard to distinguish what is real and what is not.
Sam Paechter, Creator of Illusion, said:
“I’m really pleased to be able to feature this installation in Farsley. Whilst Farsley and especially Sunny Bank Mills is known for art and creative talent, I hope this offers something a bit different, perhaps something that people have not experienced before. It’s entertaining but also maybe a little bit disturbing (in a good way!).”
Louise Lucas, director of Scrap, said:
“Scrap is all about creativity so it makes absolutely sense to partner with this project; we’re happy to be supporting local artists and the local community, and looking forward to seeing the delight and wonder of visitors discovering these images as they stroll around.”
Scrap – a local Farsley business located in Sunny Bank Mills – kindly offered their space and will be hosting the installation throughout the summer for people to pop in, pick up a pair of 3D glasses off the counter and get exploring!
