fiber optic pinhole

I have had an idea in the back of my mind for about a year and I am
wondering if anyone has tried it yet in an artistic way. I am a college
student (studying computer science), so I have not had time to try it
myself.

Fiber optic tubes are the thin plastic tubes often used in fiber optic
decorations like false plant and light displays or fancy Christmas tree
toppers, etc. Fiber optic tubing and cable is also used, in many
different forms and factors, in the electronics industry. Light enters
one end of the tube, reflect off from the insides of the tube until it
reaches the other end, then exits the tube and is "focused" as a pinhole
would be. You could think of it as a very long pinhole (not wide, but
long rather).

Fiber optic tubing would make a great pinhole. Tubing is cheap, of a
known aperture, flexible, comes in lengths up to hundreds of feet
(inches are probably enough), and it is small enough to allow extreme
perspectives otherwise unachievable (imagine looking up at an ant using
an ultra thin fiber optic tube lens).

It is already in use in the "spy cam" industry, but I have yet to see
the art world take this up. If anyone has tried (or does try) this, I'd
love to hear about it. I am especially interested in what people do
with the extreme perspectives that are possible using thin fiber optic
tubes.

Have a great day,

Jarred McCaffrey
Received on Mon Apr 9 10:20:49 2001