Viewfinder

a story on extrapolation

"Viewfinder" by Marcel Schwittlick is a data-driven generative art project, inscribed as a 900 edition series on bitcoin using ordinal theory.

Each edition is using a unique combination of two imaging-perspectives a painting by Gustav Klimt, using their context as a catalyst to extrapolate new meaning from hard data.

"Viewfinder" is a collaboration between Marcel Schwittlick and the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, Austria. Curated by Ancora.

Edition: 900
Medium: WebGL2/JavaScript, real-time animation, based on 24 digital images of Gustav Klimt paintings, fully on-chain (bitcoin/ordinals)
Inscription parent:
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Wir lernen mühselig, und aus Fehler, uns von »Wozu-« und »Warum-« für »Wie-Fragen« zu befreien. Nicht mehr zu sagen: »wir haben Sinnesorgane, um die Welt wahrzunehmen«, und auch nicht: »wir nehmen die Welt wahr, weil wir Sinnesorgane haben«, sondern: »so wie die Sinnesorgane sind, so wird die Welt wahrgenommen«. Betrachtet man diese drei Formulierungen oberflächlich, dann erkennt man nicht, dass es um völlig verschieden Einstellungen zur Welt geht. In der ersten Formel ist die Welt so wie sie eben ist, und die Sinnesorgane haben den Zweck, uns darin zu orientieren. In der zweiten Formel sind es die Sinnesorgane, die so sind wie sie eben sind, und die Welt ist das, was in sie eindringt. In der dritten Formel ist die Wahrnehmung selbst so wie sie eben ist, und die Welt und Sinnesorgane sind nur die beiden extrapolierten Horizonte des Wahrnehmens, des »Konkreten«.
Vilém Flusser über Karl Gerstner, 1992, 3-89322-478-5

We learn laboriously, and from errors, to free ourselves from "what for" and "why" for "how-questions." No longer to say: "we have sense organs in order to perceive the world," and also not: "we perceive the world because we have sense organs," but rather: "as the sense organs are, so is the world perceived." If one considers these three formulations superficially, then one does not recognize that it concerns completely different attitudes toward the world. In the first formula the world is as it simply is, and the sense organs have the purpose of orienting us within it. In the second formula it is the sense organs that are as they simply are, and the world is that which penetrates into them. In the third formula perception itself is as it simply is, and the world and sense organs are only the two extrapolated horizons of perceiving, of the "concrete."
Vilém Flusser on Karl Gerstner, 1992, 3-89322-478-5

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Extrapolation, by its very nature, is an act of speculation – a mathematical and philosophical venture into the unknown, based on established patterns. Where interpolation connects known points with reasonable certainty, extrapolation reaches beyond the boundaries of what we can directly observe, proposing what might exist if patterns continue. In this project, I embrace the inherent uncertainty and creative potential of extrapolation as a conceptual framework.

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Why Two Image Layers?
The core method of this work is about the extrapolation of two images, two different perspectives of the same motif.
The power of using two different image layers (such as standard photography and infrared or X-ray and ultraviolet) lies in the contextual relationship they create. A single image transformation might produce interesting effects, but lacks the meaningful dialogue that emerges between two perspectives of the same subject. By extrapolating between two different imaging techniques, patterns emerge that reveal something about their relationship – how structure informs appearance, how underdrawings influence final composition. These different imaging techniques each reveal distinct aspects of Klimt's process – the visible surface that audiences have known for a century, the preliminary sketches visible under UV light, the structural elements revealed by X-rays. By algorithmically extending beyond these known perspectives, this work speculates on another dimensional layer of these paintings, one that exists only in the digital realm but is directly derived from the physical artwork.
The resulting compositions invite viewers to reconsider what we mean by "seeing" an artwork completely, suggesting that even our most advanced imaging technologies capture only specific facets of the whole. Through digital extrapolation, we can imagine new ways of engaging with historical art that honor both preservation and reimagination.

Image 1

Image 2

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Selected stills

Zoom levels

Four zoom-levels

The Belvedere Museum used imaging techniques like infrared, ultraviolet, and X-ray imaging to uncover hidden layers in Gustav Klimt's paintings, revealing insights about his artistic process