The Blackest Black
How black can black actually be? Well, Vantablack is a material that was created by Surrey NanoSystems. Vantablack is a material that absorbs 99.6% of radiation in the visible spectrum, it’s described as the closest similarity humans will ever get to seeing a black hole. There are two different versions of the substance, the first one is applied to the surface of the object atom by atom or molecule by molecule until the surface is covered, this is called vacuum-deposition. The second is called Vantablack S-VIS, which is applied by spraying and then post-processing. Once the spray was invented, it became a whole other game: now it was a color, not just a material. So, Anish Kapoor, an artist who is known for his big, reflective bean in Chicago, bought an exclusive license for the material, making it almost impossible for any other artist to use the spray. Que the absolute mayhem.
Artists everywhere are absolutely floored that they cannot use Vantablack in their art pieces. One that stands out the most is Stuart Semple, a british artist that has created many paints and pigments, including one called the Pinkest Pink. You can get 50g of the powder for just $5.99, you just add water, and bam! You have the pinkest pink. The best part about the pigment is that on the website, Stuart has refused to give Anish Kapoor any of his pink. In a little note at the bottom of the website, it states: “By adding this product to your cart you confirm that you are not Anish Kapoor. You are in no way affiliated to Anish Kapoor, you are not purchasing this item on behalf of Anish Kapoor or an associate of Anish Kapoor. To the best of your information and belief this paint will not make it’s way into the hand of Anish Kapoor.” Quite outrageous but totally understandable. So, Anish Kapoor ends up getting his hand on the pink, and promptly posts an obscene photo onto his Instagram, which depicts Kapoor with his middle finger covered in the pigment, flipping off the camera. And to add more salt in the wound, the caption is “Up yours #pink.”
So, what does Semple do to retaliate? He creates “The World’s Most Glittery Glitter” also titled “Diamond Dust.” It’s made of tiny flakes of glass, so it’s natural and has 98.8% clarity, because it’s cut into irregular shapes, it reflects as much light as possible. This product is also not for Anish Kapoor, and if he tries to pull a stunt like last time, he’d surely draw some blood.
The whole reason Anish Kapoor even has rights to vantablack is because it’s a difficult material to apply, it takes professionals. So, should vantablack be shared for artists of all kinds? Or should it only be limited to a few? If you thought about, it would seem almost more logical to share the color with everyone. It could create more jobs for people trained to use the color and it could provide something to solve some problems for artists. Should everyone be entitled to vantablack or should only a few?