Void was created when Josh Pedersen, DSU digital design instructor, turned his curiosity about Black 3.0 – the blackest black paint on the market – into an active learning opportunity for his students.
“I wanted my students to do an installation, like what it would be in a museum,” Pedersen said. So, he had them think through how make a perfect circle on the wall using the inverse of a circle. They also discussed size, placement, and how it would all work in an exhibit.
“Overall, it was a great learning experience for my students,” Pedersen said.
Pedersen filmed the whole process because “half the time the process is as important as the product.” He explained the propensity for artists to get caught up in the creative process without documenting the steps. “You’ve got to stop and document what you’re doing.”
Danie Myers, one of the DSU students from Pedersen’s class who is featured in the video, fully leaned into this creative learning opportunity.
“The Void project got me extra excited for class! Design is something I crave to learn about but putting it into action really helped us grow as designers,” Myers said. “It was special because we were making something that is now part of the school. I hope this exhibit can inspire all art classes to participate in creating more art exhibits on campus!”
Black 3.0, modeled after Vantablack paint, was created by artist Stuart Semple and his team after two years of development. Since Anish Kapoor owned the rights to Vantablack and said no one could use it, Semple’s team came up with an alternative and made it available for anyone to buy.
Pedersen explained that Black 3.0 soaks up so much light that it takes out all the texture. He tried to purchase Black 3.0 for a while but said it was sold out for nearly a year. “This year, I hustled and got it,” he said. “I bought it because of the hype. I drank the Kool Aid.”
For more information about DSU’s Digital Design program, visit our catalog. To learn more about Black 3.0, go to culturehustleusa.com/collections/black.