This paper describes the overview of optical technologies applied in the field of art. The topics of the issues cover digital fabrication, optical investigations in conservation and restoration of artworks, laser color marking on metal products, lighting technology mimicking nature, and technologies for high-quality projection mapping.

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This paper describes the creation of artworks using digital fabrication technologies such as 3D printers and laser cutters, which are becoming increasingly popular in recent years. An increasing number of artists are using digital fabrication technologies to create new methods and expressive activities in art. In addition, by combining the characteristics of existing digital fabrication technologies with materials, many artists are solving complex problems with conventional methods and creating new forms of expression. This paper discusses the relationship between people and digital technology in future manufacturing, introducing examples of digital fabrication tools.

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Laser color marking is a technique whereby the surface of a metal is colored by laser irradiation. Although a great deal of literature is available on colorization in pursuit of such processing conditions as laser control parameters and process parameters, it is difficult to colorize for a desired color by exhaustively searching the processing conditions. In this review paper, we describe the basic principle of thinfilm interference present a different approach from conventional research, and touch upon examples of applications on knives and future prospects.

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This paper reviews the aims and history of optical research in the conservation and restoration of artworks, which is becoming increasingly recognized in recent years. Exhibitions in which artworks and their visual photographs are displayed side by side have increased, but what is the scope of these? The possibility of employing ultraviolet, infrared, X-ray, and stereomicroscopic research as basic optical research methods will be discussed based on recent cases.

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We have developed a new type of lighting called “Kansei Lighting” that is distinct from existing lighting equipment by fusing art and optical technology. The combination of lighting system that produces parallel light and glass art objects made with a unique manufacturing method mimics nature and reproduces natural caustics. We also built a prototype and conducted a large-scale evaluation of the effects of this lighting on humans. This paper describes the concept, features, and psychological evaluation results of “Kansei Lighting”.

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Projection mapping merges the physical and digital worlds seamlessly through projected imagery. It has been widely applied in media art installations and interactive artworks. However, physical surfaces around us are unsuitable for projection mapping since projectors are originally designed to display images on a uniformly white, planar screen. Consequently, the image quality of a projection mapping gets degraded. This article introduces technical solutions to alleviate image quality degradation. Specifically, it explains the details of geometric correction, defocus blur compensation, radiometric (or color) compensation, and shadow removal techniques. It also shows the experimental results of these technologies to demonstrate their feasibility.

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The effect of blue light irradiation on living organisms has become important since the amount of blue light to which we are daily exposed has been increasing due to the widespread use of such devices as LEDs. We used live cell imaging to quantitatively evaluate phototoxicity by observing the dynamics of living cells after blue light irradiation. Initially, we irradiated cells with LED light and observed the cell dynamics. We found that cell death occurred when the nucleus area was reduced to less than 80% of the initial size. Furthermore, cells were irradiated under various conditions to investigate the subsequent effects. We evaluated the dependence of the irradiation intensity, the wavelength, the sites, and the cell cycles of cell viability based on the criteria for determining cell death and found no difference in phototoxicity between LED and low intensity laser light.

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