We’re sorry to announce that we are winding down Projecteo once we’ve sold our current stock of units and wheels.
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved since we introduced the world to miniature Instagram projectors via a Kickstarter campaign back in November 2012. Since then we’ve delighted thousands of customers, made it into MOMA in New York and best of all been used as a medium to ask life’s big questions!
There’s around 4-8 weeks of stock left so you’ve still time to order a unit or get some extra wheels for an existing Projecteo.
We’d like to thank everyone that has worked on Projecteo over the years; all of our staff, partners, retail stockists and suppliers. Most of all we’d like to thank you, our customers, who have made the past 5 years an absolute pleasure for us. Your generosity of spirit and support will forever be projected onto our hearts.
Jeff Gill is an animator living in Los Angeles, California. He’s a big fan of Projecteo. He first received it as a birthday present from his girlfriend (now fiancee), and since then the pair have made new Projecteo wheels part of their Christmas tradition. Lovely!
Jeff became so enamoured with Projecteo that he started carrying it - and his wheels - around with him as he travelled. However, as his wheel collection grew it became difficult to transport his precious memories safely. Which is when he hit upon the idea of custom-making a carry case.
He kindly answered some of our questions about how he made his carry case, and what he loves about Projecteo.
So, Jeff: can you tell us a bit more about how you fell in love with Projecteo?
My girlfriend at the time (who's now my fiancee) and myself both love old analog things, from typewriters to record players to 16mm Bolex cameras... there's just something really satisfying about tangible media.
A couple years ago she surprised me for my birthday with a Projecteo projecter as well as 3 slides featuring some of our favorite moments from throughout the year. I loved it SO much that it's becoming a tradition where every Christmas I get a set of photos to add to our collection. And now that we're getting married, I have a feeling I'll be getting even more!
How many Projecteo wheels do you have so far, and at what point did you get the idea to create your carry case?
I have seven. When I only had the original 3, it fit really nicely in a tiny box I had sitting around, originally intended to hold a USB stick I got as swag from some promotional thing. But as soon as that number increased to seven, it became clear that I would need something a little more robust.
Sure, I could just throw 'em all in a plastic baggie and toss it in a drawer, but these things are really special to me, and I wanted to make sure I had a place that would keep them safe.
You used to travel with your Projecteo, is that right?
For a while I had it in the front of my backpack and took it just about everywhere with me. Now that it has a proper home I keep it by my bedside table, nice and safe and ready to watch.
So, your carry case: how long did it take to make? We suspect there may be other Projecteo fanatics interested in your process.
I knew the kind of box I wanted would have a sliding lid, and luckily Amazon has a number of those available for purchase. Only problem is that I wanted something that was still somewhat compact, and the only ones available were either too small or way too deep.
I noticed one box however that would work great if it was just a little shorter, so once I made the purchase it was just a matter of sawing off a bit of the base, glueing back on the bottom, using one of the scrap pieces as a divider, and cutting out a tray to hold the individual wheels.
I'm still hoping to have the lid laser-engraved to make it feel more 'official' but all in all the whole project was completed in just a couple of evenings.
How did you get the Projecteo logo onto the current box lid?
I actually haven't done this yet. The idea is to take the box and a vectorized version of the logo I made to a local laser engraving shop that engraves/cuts wood with whatever designs you have. I'm hoping to do this in the next month or two when I have time, but for now this is just a photoshopped mock up of what I'm hoping to achieve.
Are you a crafty/woodworky person normally, or was this a one off?
I work as an animator in Los Angles, however I do enjoy working with my hands whenever there's a project that I can't get out of my head.
For example, a couple years ago for Valentine's Day I made my fiancee a boat out of milk cartons (something she'd wanted to do when she was a kid) and the two of us floated down the canals of Venice in California. So while I can't say that I do this sorta thing ALL the time, when I get the impulse I usually figure out a way to make it happen!
Check out Jeff’s milk carton boat:
Thanks for talking to us Jeff - where can people learn more about you?
My personal website is jeffgill.net and I've got all sorts of random side projects going on... the one that's taking up the most of my time these days is a Twitch channel called RetroDraw that recreates images from the internet with the old SNES game MarioPaint. You can find that at http://twitch.tv/retrodraw.
Have you used our mini-projector in a novel way? We’d love to hear about it. Email us at [email protected], Tweet us or use the Instagram hashtag #projecteo!
We’ve seen some great uses of Projecteo over the years, but Liz Glines’s must surely be the most romantic. She turned our mini-projector into an engagement ring!
We were keen to learn more about this creative use of Projecteo, and Liz (@revelinred on Instagram) was kind enough to answer our questions and share her process.
Hi Liz - when and how did the idea to create the ring come to you?
“My girlfriend Katrina had always made it clear that she never wanted anything with diamonds in it. So when I decided to propose, I searched online for alternate engagement ring ideas. I came across Luke Jerram’s projection ring design, and that started my journey.”
Do you work in a field that prepared you for making the ring?
“I’m not a jewelry designer by any means - I actually work as a freelance copywriter. But I am a tinkerer by nature, and when I started this project Katrina was about to start teaching at a project-based learning school, so it was the ideal alternative engagement ring idea.
“I first set out to find a lens and film small enough to fit into a ring. The Projecteo was the perfect size. I ordered the mini-projector online, along with the film wheel with 9 of the same image (in case I couldn’t cut the edges right the first eight times!), which was a photo of us when we first went to the beach together.
“I then took the projector apart to take out the lens and the light source. Since I am not a jewelry designer, I worked with Lada from L&L Diamonds, a jeweler from Philly, to create a ring in my girlfriend’s size, where the lens was the ‘stone’ and there was room for a 1mm x 1mm film slide.
“When the ring was made I was ecstatic, but whenever I shined the light through the ring, I could only see the image projection if I held the ring really close to the wall. I realized I needed a box to help channel the light source. I worked in the AutoCAD software, Onshape, to create a ring box that would fit the ring and the light source, and then used a 3D printer to print out the box. The measurements were not perfect, so I spent a few weeks sanding down some areas so that the ring would actually fit in the box and the box would clasp shut. Creating something so cool was a proud moment for me.”
How long did it take you to create the ring? What were the biggest challenges?
“It took me 5 months from mid-May to mid-October 2015 to create the ring and the box. My biggest challenge was keeping the whole thing a secret, because I am the worst secret keeper. Conveniently, I was also working on another project that involved light projections (I’m working on an app and device that will allow people to read books/content via projection in a convenient and fun way), so whenever I did some work on the ring, she would say ‘Is this that projection project?’ and I would nod silently.”
Where did you pop the question?
“We had made plans to have dinner and see a performance at the Annenberg Center (in Philadelphia), so I had decided beforehand that I would propose at dinner during dessert. I even called the restaurant beforehand and told them to write ‘Congratulations’ on our dessert plate.
“Well, we lost track of time during dinner, and found ourselves having to rush out of the restaurant to make the performance. In an instant, she ran out to feed the parking meter while I paid for dinner!
“The performance we went to see was incredible but we were both exhausted afterwards. And when we got home, I exclaimed in awkwardness, ‘No wait, our date isn’t over yet.’ So I showed her the box and the projection of us on the wall, and she was very impressed, and then said good night, but I was persistent. ‘No wait, there’s more!’ I opened the box and she said something like ‘Oh neat, it has a little ring inside!’ It wasn’t until I started a speech I had prepared that she realized this was a proposal.”
How was the ring received (aside from the positive response!)?
“What is cooler than showing off an engagement ring with a rock? Showing off a unique ring that is a part of a bigger cooler gadget. Aside from the engagement, the goal was to show her what she inspires me to be: a creator.”
And does Katrina wear the ring day-to-day, or is it more of a memento?
“Showing off the ring to everyone gave wear and tear to the box and the light source. And the ring size ended up being slightly small. Also, with the exposed film, one can’t wash hands with the ring on, so the ring isn’t worn as much anymore though it’s kept in a sacred place.
“I have made some mental notes for ‘Projection ring 2.0′, that includes a 1mm waterproof window for the film slide and also a ring for myself, but house projects and more novel project ideas have recently taken priority.”
When do you plan to get hitched?
“We plan to have a formal ceremony with a big party and everything on August 12, 2017. It was really important to me that my sister be there, and she lives abroad and couldn’t commit to coming to the States until then. In the meantime we are enjoying our long engagement with each other, and are working on new tinkering projects together, mostly home improvements.”
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Liz - and we hope the home improvements and ceremony planning go well!
Have you used our mini-projector in a novel way? We’d love to hear about it. Email us at [email protected], Tweet us or use the Instagram hashtag #projecteo!
We were absolutely delighted when artist Laura Harrington asked to use our Instagram projectors for her exhibition at Baltic in Newcastle.
Laura's work works across a variety of media and her practice responds to the uplands of the North Pennines and the surrounding areas of Northumberland.
It's great to see Projecteo in such inspiring circumstances - and the special plinths her husband made are such fantastic idea, we need to get the instructions on how to make them.
Here's a little video of Laura explaining her work;
BALTIC 39 | FIGURE TWO: WEEK 5 from BALTIC Archive on Vimeo.
Photo credit : Thanks to Colin Davison for letting us share these.
To me, digital projection is just television in public. People leaving their houses to watch a DVD with a bunch of strangers, in a room other than their house.
Quentin Tarantino, on his rationale for restoring the New Beverly Cinema with only film projectors — no digital. (via parislemon)
The city of Sydney, Australia is currently hosting its awesome annual exhibition of light and music. Entitled Vivid Sydney, the show runs through June 9th, is free for the public and consists of dozens of stunning light sculptures and otherworldly light projections throughout the downtown area and in Sydney Harbour.
Head over to the Vivid Sydney website or their Facebook page for additional images and information.
