Page text update 2012 - images update 2020 - Archive copy

Welcome to the projection room.

These websites documenting the works of Al Razutis began in 1996 and continue to this day. They were first repositories in Germany at 'Holonet' of published articles by Razutis on holography and then documented his films, videos, holograms and critical writings. They quickly evolved into web-specific works containing 'virtual worlds', 'dream chambers', 'adventures of Alice' and other experiments in imagistic web narratives by Razutis.

Alchemists dot com was born in 1996. The name chosen reflects the studio history and works by Razutis in 1972-1977 Vancouver at Visual Alchemy Inc., his studio. The name also refers to 'alchemy' and 'visual alchemy' as informing this studio practice. Visit the new 2020 page via thumbnail to read what this was all about.

'Visual Alchemy Theory / Practice'

These sites and their changing projection devices refer to 'motion picture film' as a changing art form, involving 2D, 3D, virtual reality, interactivity, and various past/present/future forms of analog and digital, and networked creations. Digital doesn't exist without (or 'replace') analog, just like the particle doesn't exist without its wavefunction. This is not a site merely about 'projectors' (and their evolving technologies) but importantly what can be 'invented' in art and display forms by 're-inventing' the projectors and the arts that inhabit them. For those interested in 'alchemy' and projects combining alchemy, surrealism and projection, visit 'Projecting - Alchemy' (not for children or the underaged).

Consider this short example: the first motion picture film camera, camera-projector (Lumiere 1896) becomes an film optical printer camera-projector (Melies 1900), becomes video synthesizer (1970's), becomes volume screen projector (Banff, 1970's, becomes stereoscopic 3D projector, becomes holographic projector, all requiring the re-inventions of 'content' to project and interpret 'what is going on'. These trajectories and references to their predecessor forms are contained within these sites as signposts in the ongoing experiment of 'art' and 'avant-garde' practice by Razutis in the context of both history and culture of a specific time and place.

Experimental, Avant-Garde, and Applied worlds of art.

Alchemists com quickly branches into its contributing forms and contents, some of which precede the root, because creativity is not linear in time or intent. From root services and media pages to Avatar Mall to Visual Alchemy we head deeper into experimental arts, and encounter avant-garde many times, by which ever path we choose to take. The relationship between 'applied' and 'experimental' is typically between client-driven works and anarcho-surreal-alchemical works undertaken by the author. And avant-garde is something else, and not trivialized by academic or historical definitions, but re-experienced 'as if for the first time'.

Dream Chambers - Closed since 2012

The web is 3D, even if it began as text & pics amongst humans.

This site began in the mid-90's, meaning that media delivery was new to browsers, and a host of plug-ins were required to play specialized media and virtual reality worlds at that time. Computers were slow. And this site began with inherent compromises: low res video of films or videotapes, VRML low-poly worlds ir virtual reality space, scarce use of sound, low res graphics, and so on. We humans adapt and evolve according to changing circumstances, and certainly economics. These works were done outside of institutions or grants. These works continue to evolve and will feature alterations, over years.

Legacy VRML Worlds

The web practice of virtual reality and media artistry is discussed personally (in first person) by Al Razutis in a 2001-2005, updated 2010, essay by Razutis titled 'Personal Aesthetics'. Here, one will find personal and critical dialogues, too long for this essay to accomodate, on the nature of web 3D, virtual reality, social networking, avatars, and the changing web. It is recommended reading.

Getting impersonally personal

We (the plural personas or persons) do not follow with 'religious' fervor any given platform or operating system / language. All platforms are acceptable, when there are ways within them to view the contents of this site. It's less about 'open source', 'free information', 'gee whiz Web 3D' and more about what we can create within the spider-crawled web while remembering its origins and changing nature. Anonymity is not endorsed or supported on this site, unless a sender might be threatened by their identification, and this site contains personal views, with a time and a place, not in a network of pseudo people occupying a networked 'eternity' of chat. Nor are these sites 'showing off' web building skills or just 'promoting the artist'. Expresssion is a 'giving' and history is 'acknowledging' and preserving the footprints of self and others. There are too many fake resume sites and art 'history' (who did what/when) to simply and quietly ignore, expecially in the art social context of what's happened to the 'boomer' generation of artists and experimentalists of media arts.

These sites were built by Al Razutis, a visual alchemist, not those impersonating or contracted to impersonate the artist (as 'web designers'). Maybe that's 'old school', but old school is still waiting for avatars of your choice speaking and chatting with you in natural language of your choice, as of 2012. These web sites and pages feature original content, except in surrealist (and po-mo) collage instances which themselves feature intersections and appropriations of sources. And except in references to commercially determined client works. Much of the content is hand-coded (we still enjoy the read, not just point and click) and features an web content evolution (from 1996) based on evolving interests and hands-on scripting/editing.

Adventures of Alice in the Semiotics of 3D

Getting projection technical

These sites do not feature cookies, pop-up ads, or any spyware and other scumware variants. We are opposed to hacking, spying, browser hijacking, virus/worm creators and the proliferation of individual (hacker), corporate (spyware) and criminal-terrorist (disinformation) abuse of the freedoms and responsibilities enjoyed by users of the internet.

Access to 'Dream Chambers', as it is re-imagined and built, is currently closed (as of 2012), or use 'back door' links if they still exist; navigation and content of this directory typically employs java applets and requires a Java Virtual Machine (VM or Java runtime) to be installed in your browser, an issue that is noteworthy for Win XP users with pre-bundled IE without Java. Many of the pages are feature graphics in anaglyph 3D (red - blue glasses should be used for 3D). You can let the timed-sequence pages advance on their own, or click on the appropriate links (some of which will take you to Visual Alchemy page content). As in dreams, the content is in some cases 'unpredictable', but freely associative. Some pages feature adult-oriented graphics and are not suitable for children or some adults (no kidding).

Navigation and content of 'Adventures of Alice' is tied to '3D' and 'Holography' topics, and features a playful use of anaglyph 3D imagery (use red-blue glasses for 3D). This directory may prove to be frustrating (and not recommended) for children or 3D hobbyists looking for 'hot' examples of 'three dee'.

The site has been standardized for larger than 1024 x 768 resolution to allow for multiple content frames, and has been created in conformity with current I.E. browser capabilities. It is the dominant browser on the planet. Your Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, and 'open source' hacks will play some of the (javascripted) content differently, and sometimes not at all. Browser incompatability is nothing new. Your browsers (and plug-ins) are your content 'projectors' and your interests in accessing various web content are dependent on your interests in updating your browsers, or letting the author know to 'please put in this film format so I can play my quick-time' whatevers.

These requirements and recommendations ended in 2012 - the web is different now:

FLASH content requiring a Flash plug-in is to be found in the home pages. This content is currently tailored to low to medium bandwidth connections.

VIDEO PLAYER content is primarily limited (for reasons of bandwidth) to Win Media (WMV) video which is far more prevalent (and available) than QuickTime. That's the way the web world works and we're accomodating it.

JAVA APPLET content is featured extensively in 'Dream Chambers' and on some 3D video and other special pages. To view Java content you require a Java Virtual Machine to be installed in your browser. Windows XP users with pre-bundled Internet Explorer should download a Java Virtual Machine (either older version of MS virtual machine or one from Sun Microsystems). This problem is due to Miscrosoft's failure to license the Java VM properly.

Red-Blue or Red-Cyan ANAGLYPH glasses should be worn for the special 3D ANAGLYPH images in 'Dream Chambers' and 'Alice' and '3D Video' pages. The chosen anaglyph format is a matter of short-term convenience in this transition to 3D MONITORS which is occuring now, and is used to approximate (or in Alice's case, 're-imagine') original (video or graphic) 3D renderings.

VRML 2.0/97 (Virtual Reality) content also requires a Java Virtual Machine as well as VRML 2.0/97 player plug-in (available for free download). We have opted to retain VRML formats since these are historically the predecessor (as is Java 3D) for many of the current breed of Java-enabled 3D content plug-ins on the web (Cult3D, Shout3D, etc.). This important legacy is found in the emerged X3D and Mpeg-4 standards."

For further questions, concerns, or comment please e-mail Al Razutis.