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The 'Gokhran Collection' of OptoClones™ from the Moscow Kremlin Diamond Fund (Pt. #2)

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K. Sarakinos & A. SarakinosContrary to 2015 when the last 'Best of Year' prize was accorded, no such award was granted at the latest annual awards of the Int'l Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) which was hosted in Barcelona during the Holography Conference 2017 (click to see a review with photos from the conference and the ceremony). However, this latest occasion attracted a record number of candidate projects and therefore the award to the Hellenic Institute of Holography (HiH) of a Commendation for Best Display Application for OptoClones™ of Russian State Treasures from the Moscow Kremlin Diamond Fund made the team of our holographers [Andreas Sarakinos (scientific director of HiH and head of holography team) and Kostas Sarakinos (assistant)] extremely proud. Alkis Lembessis, HiH director, was there for the collection of the prize on behalf of all participants and contributors to this project such as ITMO University of St. Petersburg (click here to watch an exclusive 1 min video from the 'Oscars of Holography' award ceremony).

In November 2017, for the celebration of the 50th Anniversary since the opening of the Moscow Kremlin Diamond Fund, the Russian government (Min. of Finance) decided to impress the public with the modern use of another advanced technological Russian invention, that of Reflection Display Holography. Τhe Hellenic Institute of Holography (HiH), as part of its collaboration agreement with ITMO University of St. Petersburg, responded to the open public tender call and recorded 11 invaluable historical artworks into ...

Read more: OptoClones for an 'Oscar'

The 'Gokhran Collection' of OptoClones™ from the Moscow Kremlin Diamond Fund (pt.#1)

'Touching ' the virtual image of an OptoClone from the Gokhran CollectionIt was almost 300 years ago, in 1719, when Peter the Great of Russia established a proper storage department for crown jewels, ceremonial jewelry of the royal family, state regalia and other valuables and it was in 1967 USSR when the State Treasury institution Gokhran was formed and the famous permanent exhibition Diamond Fund inside Moscow Kremlin opened its gates to public. Where Museum visitors can admire not only rare gemstones and unique nuggets of precious metals but also the biggest part of official State valuables which have survived since the periods of Imperial Russia. A unique historical heritage of centuries-long tradition of Russia's Tsars, invaluable museum artifacts almost never leaving their protected environment as they are considered State Treasures of special status.

In November 2017, for the celebration of the 50th Anniversary since the opening of the Diamond Fund, the Russian government (Min. of Finance) decided to impress the public with the modern use of another advanced technological Russian invention, that of Reflection Display Holography. A.Sarakinos, head of holography

Τhe Hellenic Institute of Holography (HiH), as part of its collaboration agreement with ITMO University of St. Petersburg, responded to the open public tender call and recorded 11 invaluable historical artworks into holographic OptoClones™. It is worth noting that, apart from the unquestionnably successful results, it may have  been the first time ever when an open public tender is called for the in-situ creation of holographic optical clones to be delivered as finished products in a display setup along with the necessary associated illuminants, an interesting precedent in its own merit.

It was not the first time, however, for Andreas Sarakinos, scientific director of HiH, to add new laurels in his already rich 'holographic' references by creating a series...

Read more: Gemstones are Forever

The Collection of Holographic Optical Clones (OptoClones) of the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg

At the last annual meeting of the Int'l Associaiton of Hologram Manufacturers (IHMA) which took place in December 2015 in Shanghai, the Hellenic Institute of Holography (HiH) received the "Excellence in Holography - Best of Year 2015"award  (see here the official announcement) for the creation of the Bowater Collection of OptoClones of selected artefacts from the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

The Fabergé Museum (enjoy a virtual tour here) opened to public for the first time in November 2013 and as the only thematic Museum in the world dedicated exclusively to the artistic genius of Carl Gustav Fabergé, it attracts the interest of worldwide experts. The Museum collection consists of more than 4,000 works of art and has at its epicentre 9 of the world-famous Fabergé Imperial Eggs, which -together with several other important pieces of artistic work from the laboratories of the Russian master- belonged until 2004 to the Forbes Foundation collection. Some of these priceless artworks have often been the source of inspiration for a number of books and Hollywood movies (James Bond Octopussy, Ocean's Twelve etc). The colllection was acquired by the foundation Link of Times for an undisclosed sum in the range of more than 100 million US dollars as part of a program for the repatriation of Russian cultural heritage. The signing of an agreement between the Fabergé Museum and HiH at the end of 2014 ...

Read more: Excellence in Holography

OptoClones at the Museum of Byzantine Culture of Thessaloniki (Greece)

OptoClone of icon of St.Mamas (Cyprus,15^thc. AD)

On Jan 19th, 2014 the temporary exhibition titled "The Veneration of St. Mamas in the Mediterranean: A Traveler Border-Defender Saint" organized by the Thessaloniki Museum of Byzantine Culture (MBC) as part of the 4th Biennale of Contemporary Art came to a successful end. Curators of this exhibition were the Museum director Dr. Agathoniki Tsilipakou and Dr. Nikolaos Bonovas, archaeologist, in cooperation with the archaeologist Dr. Christodoulos Hadjichristodoulou, who represented the Holy Bishopric and the Municipality of Morphou, Cyprus.

The veneration of the Christian martyr St. Mamas is not limited to Cyprus. It has been diffused from Caesaria to Constantinople and many locations in the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece as well as even further in Western Mediterranean with a network of dedicated honouring places and churches in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. The center of this network is the Saint Mamas Cathedral in Langres, France where a part of his holy crane is conserved, brought there by the Crusaders after Constantinople's Fall in 1024.

The Hellenic Institute of Holography (HiH) eagerly responded to the invitation of the MBC archeaologist Dr. Panagiotis Kambanis and contributed in the success of the exhibition with the creation of Optical Clones (OptoClones) of selected original artifacts, which were displayed at the entrance of the exhibition hall. The official opening of the exhibition took place on Oct 23rd, 2013 by His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in the presence of ...

Read more: A Holographic Saint