The Ombrae Medium
Ombrae (Latin: shadows)- a distinctive visual language
The Ombrae System is a 21st Century counterpart to the ancient practice of carving bas-reliefs and hieroglyphs. The technology has evolved from sculptor Roderick Quin's lifetime study of sacred architecture and scientific instrumentation such as sundials and astrolabes.
Ombrae is remarkable in its simplicity - using our software-based image generating process an image is translated onto an array of optical tiles. Each optical tile is a beveled, cylindrical "pixel" with an angled surface that reflects a particular, precisely determined amount of light. This array of optical tiles literally sculpts the reflected light into an image.
Using our patent pending technology, any image is translated by casting or machining into concrete, glass, metal, composites or fabrics at any scale - as large as the side of a building or as small as the sole of a shoe. The result is a sensory active surface: a dynamic image that transforms in space with the viewer's movement and the changes in light levels. A dynamic wave of shifting relationships between surface and image, light and shadow, viewer and space, Ombrae playfully nudges the senses, the observer's intuition and provides a laminar flow of energy over its surface as integral feng shui. There are no lenses, laminate layers, printed dyes or inks - the image is the material.
Ombrae also offers an array of advantages beyond the visual. Ombrae impresses any surface with sound attenuation, non-slip treading, sun shading and thermal insulation, allowing us to create uniquely aesthetic solutions for architecture, interior design, landscape, retail and commercial design.
Ombrae's versatility is only limited by one's imagination. QMAAS provides collaborative design services to create feature Ombrae art installations for any indoor or outdoor spaces.