2FAKE Virtual Photography launched in 2007 by Brooklyn-based Swiss-born Nicolas Rieben dedicated CGI artist. Creating a series of virtual objects ranging from photo-realistic to abstract, the studio pursued the world of print advertising. Combining the malleability of illustration and visual quality of photography, 2FAKE offered the industry a new level of flexibility in image creation and manipulation. 2FAKE returns to mechanical materials time and again, to create CG animation for on-screen commercials, internet, digital media and beyond… now VR. Images can be animation or GIFs for integrated production.
Once asked “What is real”?… 2FAKE responded that “ultimately reality is a fluctuating model, shifting, based on perception from a specific point of reference.” The creative interpretation, the metaphor, takes the concept one step further. This is what we encounter every day in commercial ad work. CGI interpretatively stages one reality, but in a completely controlled environment, with the ability to manipulate every detail. In CGI, the “camera” can be placed in any art directed location, even one that would be physically unimaginable with a real camera. As 2FAKE customizes reality, our team can recreate an object exactly to specific parameters and create a hybrid, not constrained by boundaries that limit other forms.
Introducing the new series, titled ‘Dislocation’ where 2FAKE explores surreal objects based on mechanical parts with organic elements of wind, water, and smoke to punctuate the art. In 2FAKE’s never-ending exploration into form and function, it brings insight into the nature of encounter, and ultimately exhilaration. 2FAKE works with singular focus in a world of digital potentiality. Nicolas Rieben’s background as a sculptor of large metal and wood forms in the physical world, is where he developed the ability to see light and form, distinctions that create the attraction to his work in virtual CGI.