What Makes Vantablack So Different?

Imagine looking at a color so dark that it almost feels like you’re staring into a void. That’s Vantablack, a material that absorbs up to 99.965% of visible light, making it one of the blackest substances ever created. Instead of bouncing light back, Vantablack just swallows it, creating an effect that almost tricks your eyes into thinking you’re looking at a two-dimensional surface.

The material itself was developed for scientific and military purposes. It’s made from tiny carbon nanotubes, each around 3,500 times smaller than a human hair, standing on end like a microscopic forest. Light enters but can’t escape, bouncing endlessly within these tubes until it finally dissipates as heat. While this might sound highly technical, the effect is actually more mesmerizing than anything else.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-close-up-of-a-maze-qe_tC7Qk5Do

Vantablack’s Controversial Entry into the Art World

When Vantablack first hit the scene, artists everywhere were curious. Here was a material with an almost supernatural ability to erase light. What could it do on a canvas or in a sculpture? But this excitement hit a wall when artist Anish Kapoor acquired exclusive rights to use Vantablack in artworks. This meant that only he could use this unique material in his pieces, leaving other artists frustrated and sparking debates across the art world. Some argued that such a distinctive material should be accessible to everyone, while others defended Kapoor’s right to create with this tool however he wished.

The Visual Impact: More Than Just Black

So, what’s it like to look at Vantablack in person? Surprisingly, it doesn’t just feel like looking at the color black. There’s something strangely disorienting about it. Shapes coated in Vantablack lose their depth and seem like flat silhouettes or holes in space. If a three-dimensional object is painted in Vantablack, it can look like a void, with the object’s shape completely erased. The whole effect is unsettling but fascinating, drawing viewers in with its mystery.

This visual impact has intrigued artists who want to create pieces that challenge perception. Imagine a sculpture coated in Vantablack, standing in a gallery. It would seem as if parts of it were missing like someone had cut a hole right out of the space around it. Artists have long played with light and shadow, but Vantablack brings an entirely new layer to this play.

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Beyond Kapoor: Other Artists Experimenting with Ultra-Blacks

Kapoor’s exclusive rights to Vantablack stirred up enough controversy that other artists and inventors started looking for alternatives. Eventually, a similar material called Black 3.0 came along, created by British artist Stuart Semple. Black 3.0 isn’t exactly Vantablack, but it’s pretty close and doesn’t come with any restrictions. Semple even marketed it with a cheeky note, “Available to everyone (except Anish Kapoor).” This opened the door for artists to create their own dark masterpieces.

Black 3.0 and other ultra-black materials may not absorb as much light as Vantablack, but they still create a mesmerizing effect. Artists now have the chance to experiment with these materials, exploring that same sense of infinite darkness and distortion of depth. Whether it’s in paintings, sculptures, or installations, this new wave of ultra-black has opened up possibilities for dramatic, sometimes eerie visuals.

Vantablack in Other Creative Fields

The fascination with Vantablack isn’t just limited to traditional art spaces. Designers in fields like fashion and architecture have also found inspiration in it. In fashion, using something so dark can make a bold statement—imagine wearing a piece that seems to absorb all the light around it. Some designers have experimented with similar materials to create garments that have an otherworldly quality, making the wearer look like they’re part shadow.

Architects, too, have toyed with the idea of using Vantablack-inspired materials. A building coated in ultra-black might feel like it’s defying the laws of physics. Although it’s not common to see Vantablack on buildings due to its delicate nature and high cost, the idea still captivates the imaginations of architects who want to challenge our sense of space and light.

The Emotional Pull of True Darkness in Art

The appeal of Vantablack and other ultra-dark materials goes beyond visual curiosity—it taps into something almost primal. True darkness has a way of making us feel small, reminding us of the vastness of the universe or the depth of the ocean. In art, Vantablack can convey emotions like mystery, isolation, or even fear in a way that other materials just can’t.

Imagine stepping into a gallery and encountering a Vantablack installation. The void-like quality draws you in, almost daring you to touch it. Yet there’s an underlying tension, a sense that this is not quite real. The mind wrestles with what it’s seeing as if a basic sense of space and depth has been quietly subverted. This unusual effect might explain why Vantablack resonates so strongly in the art world, even with all the controversy surrounding it.

Where Does Vantablack Go From Here?

For now, Vantablack remains a material that’s as divisive as it is captivating. While some see it as a groundbreaking tool in the artist’s toolbox, others view it as a symbol of exclusivity. And with alternatives like Black 3.0 giving artists more freedom, it seems likely that ultra-dark materials will keep evolving, with new versions opening up to even more creative minds.

In the end, Vantablack offers more than just a striking color—it offers a way to question our relationship with light, depth, and perception itself. A way to analyze our relationship with color or with its absence; to ponder about what the meaning of colors are, and what the lack of color, like Vantablack represents. Whether it’s on a canvas, in a sculpture, or even in a building design, Vantablack stands as a reminder that sometimes, less light can reveal much more.

Featured image: Justin Snow, Attribution-NoDerivs, (CC BY-ND 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/TbitkQ