Cirque du Soleil’s, Guy Laliberté qualifies for Space Tourist Society’s Dennis Tito Award by Eileen Borgeson and Jeff Allen.

Visual: [First Dennis Tito Awards, Jeff Allen, Eileen Borgeson, Dennis Tito and Rick Searfoss.]

[Visual 2: Eileen Borgeson's Private Space Explorer Pin Rendering.]

Who would not be thrilled at the news that the founder of Cirque du Soleil would be honored by an award you were involved in creating? Both Eileen Borgeson and I had collaborated together designing the Dennis Tito Award for the heroic space tourists who train as astronauts and then visit the International Space Station (ISS).

We were both also very pleased to find out that Guy Laliberté, an artist, not a scientist, would host the First Poetic Social Mission in Space during his Sept 30 to Oct 11 visit to the ISS. His "Moving Stars and Earth for Water" took place on October 9, 2009 (GMT) in 14 cities on five continents simultaneously around the world. Each city had an "artistic moment" and unfolded with the presence of artists and world-renowned personalities, including: Al Gore, Peter Gabriel and U2.

How appropriate that John Spencer, helmsman of the Space Tourist Society (STS), was the person to tell Eileen and me that Guy Laliberté had just docked at the ISS an hour previously. We had called John to discuss Guy becoming the seventh honoree of the Dennis Tito Award.

During the historic 25th Annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC06) (Free Commemorative Poster Link: http://www.eileenborgeson.com/pdfs/OrbitPoster.pdf), Dennis Tito personally presented the first two Dennis Tito Awards to Gregory Olsen (second space tourist) and Mark Shuttleworth (third space tourist.) at the Orbit Awards Event. Mark’s award was accepted by two time commander of the Space Shuttle, Astronaut Colonel Rick Searfoss.

Dennis was then surprised with his own award by the artist Eileen Borgeson who was escorted by her collaborator on this award, me. (Link to video on Eileen and me displayed behind the stage before our presentation: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/654966/3034939)

The Dennis Tito award is two tiered with four sculptures of Eileen’s featuring the Orbital Muse on the top. Eileen and I created the concept as well as the design. The award was assembled by the fine crafts persons at Saxton Industrial who also manufactured the three sculptures that supported the Orbital Muse. Saxton Industrial also sponsored the initial three Dennis Tito Awards for the ISDC06’s Orbit Awards event.

Guy Laliberté and the other three space tourists, Anousheh Ansari, Charles Simonyi (who went twice) and Richard Garriott will be honored with their own Dennis Tito Award at the next prestigious Orbit Awards event tentatively scheduled by the Space Tourism Society in 2011, the 10 year anniversary of Dennis Tito’s first flight to the ISS. Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, has also placed a $5,000,000 deposit for a trip to the ISS in 2011.

At the ISDC06 event, the ‘holographic crystal’ Orbit Awards, also created by Eileen and me, were awarded to significant astronauts, pioneers and entrepreneurs of the private space exploration community. The list of honorees, included: Buzz Aldrin, first man who walked on the moon, Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, Richard Branson, of Virgin Galactic and everyone’s aeronautical hero, Burt Rutan, designer of the SpaceShip One. His SpaceShip One won the $10,000,000 Ansari X Prize for two consecutive Sub-Orbital Flight above 62 miles.

Eileen Borgeson is also designing a selection of Space Explorer Wings for private individuals who take an orbital flight around the Earth. The FAA has recently ruled that individuals reaching a height of 64 miles in space now qualify for their Astronaut Wings.

Eileen Borgeson’s Lumiére – 3D’s “Oscar”?

[Visuals: Eileen Borgeson with Jim Chabin collaborating on the original Lumiere sculpture. Original Lumiere (somewhat damaged in mold making) and the Gold Lumiere award manufactured at R. S. Owens (Oscars, Emmys, MTV awards.)]

3D is having a renaissance in the 21st Century. Thousands of theaters are being retrofitted with digital equipment offering the capability to create immersive live and recorded experiences. Starting this year, all the future movies produced by DreamWorks will be in 3D…most of the new flat screen TV sets are incorporating the hardware to display 3D programming… and computer gaming consoles are increasingly offering their interactive adventures in immersive 3D.

This industry has been growing for over a hundred years now and it deserves some recognition.

Eileen Borgeson has been brainstorming with Jim Chabin for many months now in a stealth capacity creating one of her ‘”signature’ sculptures as the award for this industry.

Jim Chabin has served as CEO for several organizations including the Emmy’s and Promax/BDA. Both have presented prestigious awards to ‘peer recognized’ recipients. Together with Jim’s creative vision, Eileen Borgeson sculpted and ‘birthed’ the Promax ‘Muse of Creativity’ award which was first launched in 1995 in Washington DC with 100 awards.

The Promax Muse Award is now a global icon for the television industry. BBC has referred to it as ‘television’s Oscar’. Awards are given out globally in eight different awards shows annually. Every award has multiple winners (sometimes up to 15) which now total into the tens of thousands with nearly 20,000 physical Muse awards created and given. Jim later spawned the ‘MI6’ organization for the interactive computer gaming community and Eileen’s Muse was chosen for their award also.

Throughout her career, Eileen’s art has been presented as awards and recognition pieces. In addition to the television and computer gaming industries, her award sculptures have also become icons for the entire space exploration industry and numerous art pieces of hers have been used for celebrity recognition and birthday pieces.

Last November, Jim’s organization, ‘Chabin Partners’, collaborated with the Singapore government to produce ‘3DX’, the first major international 3D film festival event to date which featured 3D ‘luminaries’ such as Jeffrey Katzenberg and James Cameron.

Jim’s newest exciting endeavor is the ‘International 3D Society’ which was formed to service the 3D industry and to recognize the pioneers and artists in this industry as it continues its international rapid growth.

Jim and Eileen’s past collaboration has successfully produced one of the most successful media awards of all time for it prestige and sheer number of recipients. With 3D rapidly becoming the entertainment choice of the future (at least until Holography finally plays its hand), the Lumiére could very well become the ‘Oscar’ for the entire international 3D industry.

Members of the X Prize ‘Vision Circle’ were gifted with Jewelry Pins designed by Eileen Borgeson honoring them for their $2.5M contributions

[Visual - Larry Page wearing his Vision Circle Pin with friend Robin Williams at Google Gala]

The members of the X Prize Foundation's 'Vision Circle' share Peter Diamandis vision of ‘Revolution through Competition’ to benefit humanity.

This month (October 2009) the X Prize Foundation is featured on the cover of WIRED UK magazine with the feature article “SAVE THE WORLD. WIN A PRIZE”

Time warp to 2007 - Eileen Borgeson was approached by the X Prize with a very special request. Create a jewelry art pin they could ‘gift’ their Vision Circle members that would be worthy of each of their $2,500,000 contribution towards the X Prize foundation’s $50,000,000 campaign for future prizes embracing space, education, poverty and the environment.

Eileen was given a very short window to create this exquisite piece. She developed many different design concepts which were first reviewed by the management of the X Prize Foundation with founder, Peter Diamandis, making the final selection. (One of Eileen’s ‘design finals’ was later made into a holographic cover for A & E magazine as well as an E- Holocard with the angel-like images surrounding a holographic earth). Eileen’s mission was to physically create these pins to be delivered in time for their event three weeks away.

Eileen, in conjunction with jewelry artist, Allan Baird and his expert knowledge of 3D CAD programs and with his Rapid Prototyping machine, were able to complete the finishing, polishing and last detailing of the Vision Circle Pins while the patient Fed Ex driver waited. It’s amazing how the Universe works! They arrived next day (March 3, 2007) at the Googleplex location in the nick of time for the ‘Radical Benefit for Humanity’ gala hosted by Larry Page. The event successfully raised $2,700,000 for the X Prize Foundation. Eileen’s Argentinium silver ‘Vision Circle’ pins were also presented to honor the seven founding ‘Vision Circle’ members.

Now the Vision Circle Member’s number has risen to 10 with some of most successful entrepreneurs and pioneers of the computer, Internet and space travel evolution as supporters: including, the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and the original sponsors of the $10,000,000 X Prize, Anousheh and Amir Ansari. Note: Anousheh had previously received Eileen’s Space Ambassador ‘sub-surface laser crystal’ Orbital Muse Award given to her by Peter Diamandis and Alan Hale (co-discoverer of Hale-Bobb Comet) at the X-Cup event in New Mexico.

The other members are Anner Wojcicki (with Sergey Brin), The William James Foundation, Eric Schmidt, Gil & Elyssa Elbaz, Rey Sidney, John Templeton Foundation, Bita Daryabari and Dr. Stewart & Marilyn Blusson.

Eileen also enlisted some of her friends and local talent here on the Big Island in Hawaii to create the native Hawaiian Koa wood presentation boxes. Master woodworker (and computer artist) Frank “Big Kahuna” Chase came to the last minute aid creating ten tiny elegant and precision-made Koa wood boxes. Mark and Karen Stebbins then laser ‘burned’ the X Prize Logo into the lids (each individually numbered #1 through #10) which they then inlaid with Abalone. The finishing touch was the black satin velvet cushions to rest each pin.

Please Don’t Feed the Flowers

Living in Paradise doesn’t mean there aren’t any challenges and oddities.

I wake up in the morning still faced with myself and that same nagging question…“What do I want to do with the rest of my life?”

After some reflection, I realize I might as well continue to fully live in this present moment ‘til I figure it out.

So today I got up and walked over (two driveways away) to Kalani to swim, sauna and soak in the hot tubs. Eileen Borgeson biked over later and joined me.

I start the jaunt midway on the three acres that we’re living on which is lined with many different varieties of trees, including coconuts, mango and papaya…all, except the papaya, about 40 feet tall for some odd reason. Along the way, I pass the crazy fruit tree section: noni (think the smells and taste of really dirty gym socks-a fruit that possibly cures anything and everything), breadfruit (think super glue that’s good for you and can taste like potatoes or pudding) and jackfruit (think juicy fruit gum, gooey latex, a mango/banana flavor with seeds that when steamed or roasted taste like some exotic nut.)

A short stroll along the tree canopied road bordered on the makai side by the waves crashing on the lava cliffs and then I start walking on the beautifully landscaped grounds up to the pool. Kalani is situated on 120 acres of grounds which Richard (the delightful owner whom I just met) has been evolving since the late seventies into a retreat he shares with many while respecting and preserving that land’s ancient and sacred Hawaiian history.

A few hours later after my meditative and ‘spa’ experience I’m back at our Puna Kalapana Retreat…and now back to Please Don’t Feed the Flowers…

I’m looking at a scattered selection of sublimely exquisite plants and their flowers…some, look they must have been designed by Dr. Seuss himself. Most of the flowers are beyond verbal description so you just have to see them yourself (above.)

In one picture my Son Chris’ ‘spider orchids from Mars’ have encountered an as- yet-unknown-to-me ‘pink woven something’ with delicate purple flowers growing from its side. And in the other visual there is a banana flower who was about to eat a pink perfection hibiscus when she was politely reminded of our ‘Please Don’t Feed (or feed on) the Flowers’ rule here…later they became new ‘best friends’ (even without a workshop.)

Houston Hotties sent by Mission Control to Dolphin Encounter in Alohaland

(Pics: top - Eileen Borgeson, Patty & Becky Busmire and Jeff Allen; middle - Drew Busmire, Josh Withers, Eileen and Becky; bottom - Patty and Kim Peeples)

Chance meetings are sometimes the most memorable. Eileen Borgeson and I had just landed at the Point House on Kealakekua Bay. While checking out the terrain we encountered other visitors in this strange yet bewitching piece of paradise.

There they were sharing the same vista of the ocean with the sacred Hawaiian Heiau on our right and Captain Cook monument directly across the bay.

There’s always something so special about a close family on vacation. They’re sharing new experiences and playing like a pod of Dolphins.

Speaking of Dolphins, Eileen was put on Dolphin alert to call the Houston Hotties (Kim Peeples, sister Patty Busmire and a ‘much to bright for her age’ daughter Becky – who’s much prettier when she smiles) if she saw any Dolphins. Luckily, our friend Gary Stice’s Point House is closest to where the Dolphins swim and offers a perfect ‘crows nest’ for viewing.

Well, as if on cue, Eileen spotted Dolphins playing in the bay at 6:30AM. After a quick call to Patty, Eileen swam to a location where the Dolphins could swim up to her if they chose… which they did.

Eileen’s Experience “I was off to the side of the other swimmers and found myself almost constantly surrounded by the over 30 Dolphins that were with us in the Bay for nearly an hour…several pods were cavorting above and below the surface, leaping, spinning on top and two ‘teenage Dolphins” were below me flipping the leaves I had brought them and acting very clownish. One whooshed by me so close it almost touched my cheek…I nearly kissed a Dolphin! My best ever encounter in Kealakekua Bay”.

Shortly after Eileen’s call to Patty, the Houston Hotties arrived ready to see if they too would be greeted by the Dolphins.

Kim (now a Hawaii resident for 11 years) opted for shore duty and Patty and Becky plus me in tow climbed over some rocks and sailed (actually swam) off to Dolphinland.

Our expectations for success were high since Pattie had paved the way eight years earlier with her first visit with the Dolphins. (Becky was unable to attend at that time due to a commitment to higher education that has since forged her character even to this day.)

Well another accomplishment for Houston Mission Control. The Houston Hotties were well received by the Dolphins and that special epiphany happened when two species meet on friendly and even playful terms.

Later more of the Houston Hotties clan showed up and we were able to share the vistas of Gary's Point House with Patty's son Drew Busmire and his friend Josh Withers before they took off to college for their commitment to higher education.

More about the Houston Hotties in episodes to come…

E-HoloCards – Spectral Analysis at It’s Best.

E-Holograms utilize light to display the visual magic of Eileen Borgeson’s artistry and my holography experience and knowledge in accessing various holographic techniques to create our mixed-media E-HoloCards.

The holographic substrates themselves are optical recordings (no dyes or pigments) which use the same light that illuminates them to reconstruct optically recorded imagery or kinetic effects. E-Holograms have been programmed to create 3-D solid or moving imagery, kinetic rainbow explosions or both. Many E-HoloCards have also been physically embossed with old-world craftsmanship & precision and traditionally printed with images, designs and lettering.

Each different light source, whether incandescent, neon, fluorescent, mercury arc or the sun, emits a different spectrum (frequency) of light, thus they each create a different ‘look’ on each E-Hologram.

If you look at a light source through a pair of holographic novelty ‘rainbow’ glasses you’ll be able to see the visual spectrum produced by each specific light source. This is sometimes referred to as spectral analysis. By analyzing the colors of the light that passes through a holographic (diffraction) grating you can determine which frequencies the light is composed of. Spectral analysis is also the technique used by astronomers to measure the size, age and composition of the outer and inner universe.

Every light environment, whether outside in nature or inside will also affect how the holographic image appears to the viewer. Even ambient light can create beautiful colors with the brilliance of dichroic glass and even nature’s opals. Even different viewers in the same room can be looking at the same hologram and see an entirely different image.

Shown here is the same E-HoloCard we used for two different occasions. This was an E-Hologram prototype which utilizes selected holographic substrates to incorporated with Eileen’s imagery.

The first use was a congratulations card we emailed to Eileen’s granddaughter, Ava Wallen congratulating her on her gymnastics achievement of making it to California State Finals. The second use was an E-Card we sent via email to our bestest of friends, Linda Siegel-Kane. We had digitally shot the card before it was sent to Ava so we later just Paint Brushed Pro-ed the personalization into the digital file. Notice how different the visuals look. They’re the same card just a different lighting situation.

Eileen’s basic image outline of each card creates the same theme but the overall artistic expression and impression of each E-HoloCard changes in different lights, environments and viewing angles.

Moments in Holography History - 1st White-Light Viewable Embossed Holographic Prototypes of Michelangelo’s David

[visuals note: The visuals show two viewing perspectives of the same embossed hologram of David. ]

At the beginning of this century while going through some ‘almost’ lost treasures of my past, I uncovered a plain brown envelope with a number of 4” x 5” acetate plastic sheets separated by tissue. Further investigation revealed that these were the first prototypes from the early seventies when Michael Foster and I, under our Cottonwood Research and Development Corporation, were ‘tweaking’ Foster’s holographic embossing process. The technique used at that time replicated holograms on plastic that needed a laser to view them. Most holograms up till then needed a laser to create them and view them.

I was surprised that the smell of acetate was still present in bag. After almost 40 years! Acetate was the chemical we used to replicate holograms from the holographic master onto plastic sheets.

Our subject matter was a small sculpted version of the bust of Michelangelo’s iconic “David”. We were evolving our previously replicated holograms which required laser illumination to view them and make them white-light-viewable.

Foster was making successive holographic masters that incorporated new optical approaches he was experimenting with to increase the white-light viewability of the replicated holograms. I was doing the physical embossing to create a replicated plastic hologram from each of his new masters using a very clever embossing process he’d devised.

So each hologram in this batch was a hologram made from a new different holographic master during our experimenting that night. We were always nocturnal. The process enabled us to see the holographic image of David from a white-light source. But, as you can see from the pictures, the image of David had a spectral spread around it. Still this hologram is probably one of the first embossed image holograms ever made which had the capability of white-light viewability from a holographic master plate capable of mass-producibility onto plastic without laser exposure. Both techniques were major breakthroughs at that time.

The first public viewing of a hologram from this session was made in San Jose at the Tech Museum during their Talent and Tapestry Event in 2003.

We later incorporated the Steve Benton ‘Rainbow” technique which eliminated one parallax dimension (in this case the vertical axis) to create white-light viewability. Our first ‘prototypes’ of these holograms were purchased by Laser Focus Magazine to sell in an ad in their magazines. This probably was the very first commercial use of embossed ‘display/image’ holography. These holograms (actually holographic prototypes) were available for purchase only months after the breakthrough was made. Talk about bringing an invention to the market place in a short period of time…this certainly qualifies. Luckily, breakthroughs in holographic imagery can be seen as they happen thus making them available as a product for purchase instead of just a part of a more complex system that has to be further developed before in becomes a product or gadget. Holograms are actually both. They are the holographic substrate that records imagery as well as the display device that reconstructs the holographic imagery when illuminated with light.