Fifty Shades of Spray

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0:00:00 > 0:00:07But now on BBC News, it is time for Click.

0:00:35 > 0:00:38Graffiti art has been one of the hottest art movements over

0:00:39 > 0:00:40the last few decades.

0:00:40 > 0:00:43Like many graffiti artists, Graeme - or Xenz, the name he goes by -

0:00:43 > 0:00:45cut his teeth on the streets.

0:00:45 > 0:00:47In this case, the streets of Bristol.

0:00:47 > 0:00:50And he has since grown into the artist that we see

0:00:50 > 0:00:52on the roof of his East London studio.

0:00:52 > 0:00:55Today, he's taking a break to do this for us.

0:00:55 > 0:00:58But he's more known these days for these amazing natural scenes

0:00:58 > 0:01:00which are exhibited and sold all over the world,

0:01:00 > 0:01:03and which incorporate all of the graffiti techniques that

0:01:03 > 0:01:04he's honed over the years.

0:01:04 > 0:01:06Yeah, over time you really understand what the can

0:01:06 > 0:01:09is about to do.

0:01:09 > 0:01:13You know, you come to rely on these tools, like the nozzle or the weight

0:01:13 > 0:01:14of the can.

0:01:14 > 0:01:19Like the way that I use the edge there to keep one edge sharp and one

0:01:19 > 0:01:21edge faded, then this, you know, different lines, adding colours.

0:01:21 > 0:01:24So there's a lot of disciplines that go through painting that

0:01:25 > 0:01:35are the same here, you know.

0:01:35 > 0:01:36Years of practice...

0:01:36 > 0:01:41No, we don't have that kind of patience.

0:01:42 > 0:01:44So could we pull off something similar to this by combining

0:01:45 > 0:01:53technology with someone who has no creative talent whatsoever?

0:01:53 > 0:01:55To find out, we sent Nick Kwek to Estonia.

0:01:55 > 0:02:01Tartu, Estonia's second-largest city.

0:02:01 > 0:02:03Like most cities, graffiti and street art provoke

0:02:03 > 0:02:06around every corner.

0:02:06 > 0:02:09If you know where to look.

0:02:09 > 0:02:12It's also home to one of the biggest spray-painted pieces I've ever

0:02:12 > 0:02:17laid eyes on.

0:02:17 > 0:02:20But Albert's been painted dot by dot, and I've been promised I too

0:02:20 > 0:02:25can achieve artistic genius with the right tools.

0:02:25 > 0:02:27Believe it or not, these pictures have all been painted

0:02:27 > 0:02:30with spray paint.

0:02:30 > 0:02:32They've been pieced together splodge by splodge

0:02:32 > 0:02:34by the SprayPrinter device.

0:02:34 > 0:02:37My daughter wanted a unicorn on her wall, but I couldn't draw.

0:02:37 > 0:02:44So that pushed me towards creating this device.

0:02:44 > 0:02:47To make these magical masterpieces you need the right kit -

0:02:47 > 0:02:50a smartphone with the appropriate app installed, an external battery

0:02:50 > 0:02:53pack to keep it fully juiced, a tripod to hold it steady,

0:02:53 > 0:03:00some paint, and of course the SprayPrinter.

0:03:00 > 0:03:03First you select an image and align it against the area

0:03:03 > 0:03:06you want to paint.

0:03:06 > 0:03:08So the image is projected like a giant virtual sticker.

0:03:08 > 0:03:14Portraits with shadows work best.

0:03:14 > 0:03:17The phone's camera exposes for the LED on the device,

0:03:17 > 0:03:20and when it illuminates, it sends the can's location

0:03:20 > 0:03:21to the app.

0:03:21 > 0:03:23The phone then tells the printer its coordinates

0:03:23 > 0:03:29and the printer decides when to spray and when not to.

0:03:29 > 0:03:31Once you get the knack of it, it's actually surprisingly

0:03:31 > 0:03:34simple to use.

0:03:34 > 0:03:37You just have to make sure you go from left to right,

0:03:37 > 0:03:40or right to left, very smoothly, in a straight line.

0:03:40 > 0:03:44For all its geeky brilliance, it's a real labour of love.

0:03:44 > 0:03:48Even the most simple of designs takes several hours.

0:03:48 > 0:03:52Depending on how complex the picture, and the size,

0:03:52 > 0:03:55the amount of layers, the different colours

0:03:55 > 0:03:59you want to paint with, you know, that determines how long doing one

0:03:59 > 0:04:02of these is going to take.

0:04:02 > 0:04:06You need to move your hand relatively steady, so if you start

0:04:06 > 0:04:12moving your hand very quickly you're losing accuracy.

0:04:12 > 0:04:14Not sure I could really stand your for several

0:04:14 > 0:04:19hours doing this.

0:04:19 > 0:04:22With the next model, you should be able to move your hand

0:04:22 > 0:04:26relatively freely as you would with a regular paintbrush.

0:04:26 > 0:04:28To give your arm rest, the team have already started

0:04:29 > 0:04:31developing robotic versions to do the spraying for them,

0:04:31 > 0:04:35meaning larger more complex images.

0:04:35 > 0:04:40I developed this extra accessory for the SprayPrinter to atomise

0:04:40 > 0:04:43the process, because for high scale images the hand-held method takes

0:04:43 > 0:04:54too much time and effort.

0:04:54 > 0:04:56Soon, others will be able to join in too,

0:04:56 > 0:05:00hopefully speeding things up a bit.

0:05:00 > 0:05:02But does the printer help artistic expression,

0:05:02 > 0:05:03or simply kill it?

0:05:03 > 0:05:06A person who can't draw at all, this gives like guidelines

0:05:06 > 0:05:11of how to paint.

0:05:11 > 0:05:16It's like sort of a colouring book, but you can go over the lines,

0:05:16 > 0:05:18but the paint will still only land in the right places.

0:05:18 > 0:05:21I think for people like myself, we call them artistically

0:05:21 > 0:05:22challenged...

0:05:22 > 0:05:23LAUGHTER

0:05:23 > 0:05:27And I think this device gives them new power.

0:05:27 > 0:05:28The finished result?

0:05:28 > 0:05:31It started off only a few small dots.

0:05:32 > 0:05:35You actually have to stand back a few feet to get the full view,

0:05:35 > 0:05:39to get the right perspective on it.

0:05:39 > 0:05:52How good is that?

0:05:52 > 0:05:55Yeah, and in true Blue Peter fashion, here's one I made earlier.

0:05:55 > 0:05:56Yeah, all me.

0:05:56 > 0:05:57Entirely done by me.

0:05:57 > 0:05:58All of it.

0:05:58 > 0:06:00Well, that was Nick Kwek with the SprayPrinter.

0:06:00 > 0:06:01Graeme, worried?

0:06:01 > 0:06:02Not really, no.

0:06:02 > 0:06:04I mean it's a great tool.

0:06:04 > 0:06:06It works like a projector.

0:06:06 > 0:06:09It helps us to get these large images up easier but no,

0:06:09 > 0:06:12I think I'm quite comfortable in what I'm doing right now.

0:06:12 > 0:06:15I might use it one day though.

0:06:15 > 0:06:31It definitely has its advantages, for sure, yeah.

0:06:31 > 0:06:33One of the brilliant things about working on Click

0:06:33 > 0:06:37is that we all get to achieve our lifetime ambitions at one point

0:06:37 > 0:06:40or another, which is why this week Mark Cieslak became the captain

0:06:40 > 0:06:41of a starship!

0:06:41 > 0:06:44He took some of the rest of the Click family with him,

0:06:44 > 0:06:47to boldly go where no Mark has gone before.

0:06:47 > 0:06:48Space, the final frontier.

0:06:48 > 0:06:50These are the virtual voyages of the BBC Click team.

0:06:50 > 0:06:53Our mission: To wear VR headsets and discover strange,

0:06:53 > 0:06:55new technology, and boldly go where no TV reporter

0:06:55 > 0:07:05has gone before.

0:07:18 > 0:07:21Virtual reality game Star Trek Bridge Crew brings

0:07:21 > 0:07:24together up to four players, each taking a different role

0:07:24 > 0:07:27on the bridge of a starship.

0:07:27 > 0:07:30The beauty of going where no one has gone before is that starship travel

0:07:30 > 0:07:37involves an awful lot of sitting down.

0:07:37 > 0:07:40Sitting down is great for virtual reality because the headsets have

0:07:40 > 0:07:41got these cables.

0:07:41 > 0:07:47If you're moving around it easy to get caught up with them.

0:07:47 > 0:07:54Sitting avoids all of that.

0:07:54 > 0:07:57And where better to be sitting than the Captain's chair

0:07:57 > 0:07:58of a Federation starship?

0:07:58 > 0:08:01Headsets on, it's time for the Click team to become a starship crew.

0:08:01 > 0:08:02Wow.

0:08:02 > 0:08:03It's really strange.

0:08:03 > 0:08:03That's brilliant.

0:08:03 > 0:08:05Incredible.

0:08:05 > 0:08:06Oh, my goodness, Mark!

0:08:06 > 0:08:08Hi.

0:08:08 > 0:08:10I'm dabbing.

0:08:10 > 0:08:12All right, people?

0:08:12 > 0:08:17Let's trek some stars.

0:08:17 > 0:08:20The early missions are all about orientating us was the bridge

0:08:20 > 0:08:22and how we interact with it.

0:08:22 > 0:08:24As helmsman, you are the ship's navigator.

0:08:24 > 0:08:28The headset shows us what the bridge looks like,

0:08:28 > 0:08:30but the PlayStation motion controllers allow us to interact

0:08:30 > 0:08:34with the various controls we have to master in order to fly the ship.

0:08:34 > 0:08:35Help.

0:08:35 > 0:08:36Yes?

0:08:36 > 0:08:37Walk course to gamma hydra.

0:08:38 > 0:08:42Engage.

0:08:42 > 0:08:47Oh, we're warping, everybody.

0:08:47 > 0:08:49Oh!

0:08:49 > 0:08:50Wow.

0:08:50 > 0:08:51That's pretty, isn't it?

0:08:51 > 0:08:52That's good.

0:08:52 > 0:08:54Wow.

0:08:54 > 0:08:58We don't have time for sight seeing, though, as we receive a distress

0:08:58 > 0:09:00signal from a stricken vessel.

0:09:00 > 0:09:03My vessel has lost all power and our life-support systems

0:09:03 > 0:09:04are nearly exhausted.

0:09:04 > 0:09:05Here we go.

0:09:05 > 0:09:05Scanning now.

0:09:05 > 0:09:06Get on that scan.

0:09:06 > 0:09:08OK, so, engineering?

0:09:08 > 0:09:10Yes.

0:09:10 > 0:09:12Can you transport the survivors to here?

0:09:12 > 0:09:15I don't know.

0:09:15 > 0:09:17CHUCKLES

0:09:17 > 0:09:19That wasn't in the training.

0:09:19 > 0:09:22LAUGHTER

0:09:22 > 0:09:24We're homing in at an alarming rate,

0:09:24 > 0:09:25Captain.

0:09:25 > 0:09:27There are no options within transporter.

0:09:27 > 0:09:30It says right there in the list.

0:09:30 > 0:09:32Transport, energise.

0:09:32 > 0:09:36It's at this moment that the action takes a turn which will appeal

0:09:36 > 0:09:38to Star Trek super fans.

0:09:38 > 0:09:44OK, guys, this is the Kobayashi Maru scenario.

0:09:44 > 0:09:47This is an impossible to win situation.

0:09:47 > 0:09:48Oh!

0:09:52 > 0:09:53It's a D51 cruiser.

0:09:53 > 0:09:57It's a Klingon D5 cruiser?

0:09:57 > 0:09:58Yes.

0:09:58 > 0:09:59OK.

0:09:59 > 0:10:03Target it.

0:10:03 > 0:10:06Bring it about so we can actually see that the vessel.

0:10:06 > 0:10:12Bring it in behind it.

0:10:12 > 0:10:13Come on!

0:10:13 > 0:10:14West, West, West.

0:10:14 > 0:10:16Turn it, turn it, turn it.

0:10:16 > 0:10:16Find us.

0:10:16 > 0:10:17Find us.

0:10:17 > 0:10:17Operating.

0:10:17 > 0:10:18There it is.

0:10:18 > 0:10:19OK, bring in those torpedoes.

0:10:19 > 0:10:23Line up the phasers, and torpedoes away.

0:10:24 > 0:10:26Get us back behind it.

0:10:26 > 0:10:29Target destroyed.

0:10:29 > 0:10:30Oh!

0:10:30 > 0:10:35Yeah, everybody, we just violated a peace treaty.

0:10:35 > 0:10:36Wow.

0:10:36 > 0:10:38Oh, wow.

0:10:38 > 0:10:40It's pretty warm work being in virtual reality.

0:10:40 > 0:10:42It feels like it's social VR at its best, really.

0:10:42 > 0:10:43Communication's a must.

0:10:43 > 0:10:47If you don't have it you're not going to complete the mission.

0:10:47 > 0:10:48Great for team building.

0:10:48 > 0:10:51I thought we actually had our lives on the line for a minute.

0:10:51 > 0:10:53That ably demonstrates the power of teamwork.

0:10:53 > 0:10:55It's really, really important that everybody plays their role

0:10:55 > 0:11:01on the bridge, because if you don't then chaos ensues.

0:11:01 > 0:11:04We had a couple of sticky moments there, but I think we managed

0:11:04 > 0:11:12to pull it back and keep it together as a crew.

0:11:12 > 0:11:14And the result was a successful mission.

0:11:14 > 0:11:14Brilliant.

0:11:14 > 0:11:16That was Mark and the crew.

0:11:16 > 0:11:17That's it for this week.

0:11:17 > 0:11:19Follow us on Twitter at BBC Click.

0:11:19 > 0:11:23Or like us on Facebook, too, where you can see lots of extra

0:11:23 > 0:11:29content and videos.

0:11:29 > 0:11:32Now, while you're watching this we are doing a live show

0:11:32 > 0:11:34at the Hay Literary Festival in Wales.

0:11:34 > 0:11:37And next week on the programme you can see a little bit

0:11:37 > 0:11:39of what we're getting up to.

0:11:39 > 0:11:39Can't wait.

0:11:39 > 0:11:42And if you're coming, I hope you enjoy the festival.

0:11:42 > 0:11:48And we will see you next week.