Cyberpunk Stereoscope Materials

Ben Erickson
Student Work
4 Comments

My progress this week has been largely focused on gathering materials for my cyberpunk stereoscope concept, which has unfortunately not been the most productive. Gathering upcycled materials that fit a cyberpunk aesthetic was surprisingly challenging due to the smaller proportion of used metal and electronics I found compared to other materials. All the materials I have gathered are shown below.

As described last week, and shown within the title image, there are five key components I need to get in some form to put together a Holmes stereoscope: a faceplate, a shroud, a divider, a beam, and a stereogram holder. From the first materials gathered image, I plan to use the large bracket as the beam, the circuit board as the divider, and the smallest clips on the stereogram holder as the mechanism to secure the stereogram card. The faceplate, shroud, and stereogram holder base I plan to cut and bend out of the thin piece of sheet metal in the second material gathered image. The underside of the short side of the large bracket has a slot that a piece of sheet metal can securely slide within, which will enable the stereogram holder to be adjusted closer and farther as needed for the viewing focal length. The rest of the components will be used as needed for details on the stereogram for the cyberpunk aesthetic. I also considered the water stain present on the sheet metal and can either use or avoid it depending on which sections I cut from, but I think including it could add to the salvaged nature of the cyberpunk aesthetic.

4 Comments. Leave new

  • Jack Franz
    February 11, 2025 2:05 pm

    Hey Ben, first off, I wanted to say I had to look up what this was before even reading this post so props to you for coming up with something so creative. After realizing what a stereoscope is I love your clash of aesthetics between ultramodern cyberpunk and dated technology like a stereoscope. Are you going to also come up with cyberpunk pictures to place at the end? That would be really interesting except might add a lot to the project. Excited to tune in next week!

    • Ben Erickson
      February 12, 2025 1:19 am

      Thanks for the support with my wacky idea! I would love to have some cyberpunk stereograms to go along with the device, but my searching thus far has turned up practically no cyberpunk stereograms. If I had some cyberpunk subject matter to photograph I could create some new ones, and it is possible to create stereograms from a digital scene. However, I don’t currently have the subject matter or rendering expertise to pursue those options, so my current plan is just to use non-cyberpunk stereograms. Let me know of any resources I may have overlooked for cyberpunk stereograms.

  • Robert Forstbauer
    February 9, 2025 7:04 pm

    Hi Ben,

    I hope you’re doing well! I’m interested in your project, and I have a few questions and thoughts to share.

    I know this is a bit of a stretch, but I wanted to mention that there’s an antique store in Leadville, about two hours from here, that has a vintage Holmes Stereoscope along with dozens of image cards available at a reasonable price: just in case that might be of interest to you.

    That leads me to my first question: what do you plan to use for your image cards? Additionally, I was wondering if the PCB has any functional purpose in your design. Perhaps you could incorporate a light source and use the wiring as part of the overall aesthetic?

    One other note: I measured your word count at 266, while the guidelines suggest something closer to 500. My only critique would be that you might consider expanding on the inspiration behind your project, how you sourced materials (or plan to in the future), and details about the manufacturing process. I think adding these elements could further enhance your write-up.

    Looking forward to seeing your progress!

    Best,
    Robert

    • Ben Erickson
      February 12, 2025 1:30 am

      Hi Robert, I am aware that Holmes stereoscopes are a regular occurrence at antique stores, but my thought with this project was to create my own instead. I would be interested in looking through existing stereograms to use, but that antique store is unfortunately not within my current means to get to. My current plan for stereograms was to just print out some stereogram images I have found online, as well as some of my own. The pcb is just aesthetic, and I have considered including lights, but that would be secondary to the base construction. I am aware of the word count, but I did not make much progress this week, as noted, and had to prioritize other work. If you want to learn more, my inspiration is detailed in my previous post and my manufacturing methods will hopefully be described in a future post.

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