design

Sistine Chapel as a 3D Virtual Reality Simulation

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A screen capture of my recreation of the Sistine Chapel in virtual reality.

A screen capture of my recreation of the Sistine Chapel in virtual reality. (Click to enlarge)

Seven years ago in 2006 I did a project as part of a course at BYU. The object of the project was to produce something substantially creative. I decided to recreate the Sistine Chapel as a computer generated virtual simulation. Since most people may not have a chance to visit the real Sistine Chapel, this would give them a chance to see this remarkable place, examine it, walk around, and view the masterpieces that adorn its walls. So I recreated the Sistine Chapel in a format called Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML), reconstructing all of the high resolution photos I could find of the artwork on the walls and ceiling. Of course, the simulation falls short of the actual experience, as most simulations do, but it gives a good approximation. [Read more…]

What of Art?

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Les Misérables

Les Misérables

The following was written in response to a comment by “nate” on a post at Millennial Star which discussed the merits of the new film Les Misérables. In summary, the commenter claimed that art is “just art,” and in the end is escapism, overrated, simple entertainment, will not change your life (no matter how great or inspiring it is), won’t have long term influence on your soul, is overblown, is an addiction, is short-lived, no matter how seemingly life-changing it is dangerous, an idol, a quick fix, a drug, not “real life” or a part of our “real world,” and a distraction. I thought such condemnation of art called for a reply.

Allow me to resuscitate art for a moment (as if it needs it).

Art is not simply entertainment. It’s not simply art. It’s not simply escapism. And it is certainly not simply a drug.

Art is found abundantly in most expressions of humanity, including the traditional forms of drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and dance, but also in literature, industrial design, architecture, film, interior design, graphic design, puppetry, music, singing, drama/theatre, animation, poetry, woodworking, weaving, vocal performance, interactive media, calligraphy, printmaking, pottery, sound, and technology.

Without art, most of what we know in our world today would not exist. [Read more…]

“The Temple on Mount Zion” Conference Livestream and Videos

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Today we are fortunate to be participating in “The Temple on Mount Zion” Conference in Provo, Utah, in memory of Matthew B. Brown, and sponsored by Interpreter Foundation.  Of course, the theme of the entire conference is the temple.  There have been some excellent presentations on numerous topics including noah, the ark, divine handclasps, egyptology, creation, Job, the Psalms, Dead Sea Scrolls, the “terrible questions,” Jacob’s sermon, axes mundi, Nephites and Mesoamerica, the Torah, the design of temples, and others.

The conference is being live streamed online, and can be watched here: http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/live-video-stream-of-the-temple-on-mount-zion-conference/

YouTube videos of the presentations are available on Interpreter’s YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/MormonInterpreter

A printed book of proceedings will be published in the coming months by Interpreter Foundation.

The Gila Valley Arizona Temple Completed in Record Time?

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The Gila Valley Arizona Temple Celestial Room

Celestial Room in the Gila Valley Arizona Temple

The open house has been announced for the Gila Valley Arizona Temple, which was announced in General Conference just two years ago.  The open house will start on Friday, April 23rd, and run through Saturday, May 15th.  The dedication will take place on Sunday, May 23rd, 2010.  [Read more…]

TempleStudy.com is now on Twitter and Facebook

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I have posted links to TempleStudy.com articles on my personal Twitter and Facebook accounts for a long time, but I thought it was about time to make their own official accounts.  Now, if you just want updates about TempleStudy.com and not from me, or vice versa, or want to filter your social network notifications in some other way, you can do that.  Here are the official account links:

  • Twitter TempleStudy.com Profile – follow me here on Twitter to get the latest updates from the site in your Twitter stream.
  • Facebook TempleStudy.com Page – become a fan of the TempleStudy.com page on Facebook, and see updates from the site in your Facebook News Feed, and easily share them with friends from there.

Now you don’t need to be updated about my frequent 5K runs anymore, if you don’t want to (I’m training for a half marathon in June).  But if you are interested in my personal activities, you might like to know that I just finished version 1.0 of BryceHaymond.com, my design consultancy business I call Blackpool Design.  As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I’m out of full-time work, and I’m looking for clients who need freelance design, whether product design, graphic design, or web design.  If you know of someone who is looking for design, I’d be very grateful for your referral.

Once I get my house in order a bit more, I’d really like to get back to studying the temple, and sharing with you what I learn.  This is truly an inexhaustible subject.