Art investment, traditionally the domain of privileged connoisseurs, is now accessible to a wider public thanks to new technologies such as NFT, crypto art and investment platforms.

Although today's art asset investments are the asset class with the highest return on investment, with an average appraised value of 20% after authentication, the "caveat emptor" principle still applies and investors need to carefully weigh the risks. Experts estimate that "50% of art circulating in the market is forged or misrepresented" is an understatement.

The most controversial Salvator Mundi is now an example of a painting whose authenticity remains disputed by experts and which has now been removed from public exhibition. This also reflect the crucial role of identification experts in this huge but sometimes opaque market.

Art experts often conduct comparative analysis with the naked eye and their intrinsic connoisseurship, delving for further information into archives and catalogues raisonnés, the comprehensive and annotated listings of all the known artworks by an artist. Sometimes they mandate external technology to help in their diagnosis.

Today, there are scientific analysis methods to help art experts in their work, such as multispectral imaging (including infrared imaging), which can reveal erased signatures and underdrawings, providing important information about the history, identity and fabrication of the artwork. Such methods complement expert analysis and increase the probability of detecting both false and authentic artworks. These scientific techniques require specialised engineers and are reserved for the top 5% of the most expensive artworks. They are often outsourced to outside laboratories, increasing insurance and shipping costs and delaying the identification process.

Art professionals need a user-friendly and portable multispectral camera that provides instantly readable results and centralizes archival information to make comparative studies more efficiency but also reduce the cost of the scientific analysis.

Apollo is a handheld art painting diagnosis camera that consists of a hand-held multispectral DSLR with a corresponding software application.

It runs on a multispectral-induced illumination module developed by the MATIS, part of the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), The module provide from ultraviolet to infrared gives expert access to information beneath the surface paint layers, helps them visualise erased signatures and identify pigments.

The multispectral ring flash is adaptable on commercially available DSLR camera. The product aims to assist art experts in their daily painting diagnosis, deliver instant readable results of the erased signatures and underdrawings, and reveal its history to identify and fabrication process information without damaging the painting itself. This approach complements expert analysis, increasing the probability of detecting false and genuine works of art. As a result, art experts can increase the number of screened artworks in their daily work and lower the barriers of entry to art investment markets where scientific analysis was previously too costly. With Apollo, it is possible to put an end to misinterpretations, investment scams and multi-million dollar counterfeiting scandals in the art market.

What it Does:

Investment in ancient painting is a huge ambiguous market. Therefore, art authentication is crucial. Accessibility to such tools and technology is lacking for many art experts nowadays. Apollo reveals and identity of oil painting by photographing the underdrawings and specific pigments of the painting.

My Inspiration:

It all started when I read a report by the Geneva-based Fine Arts Expert Institute that claims that estimates of 50% of art circulating on the market are being forged, I am shocked at how serious the problem of forged art is. It just so happened that I had the opportunity to work on this product design project at ECAL, a multispectral camera project led by MATIS, a start-up company at the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM).

From the research, existing scientific techniques such as multispectral imaging are only reserved for the top 5% of the most expensive paintings, and the methods require specialist engineers operating in the external laboratories, there is a lack of an accessible and affordable scientific way to authenticate all-value artworks on site.

How it works:

1. The user attaches the multispectral ring flash to the front part of the DSLR lens with mounting ring and plug the sync cord to the DSLR.

2. When the user presses the camera's shuttle button, it triggers a multispectral ring flash that turns on LEDs ranging from 410 nm (ultraviolet) to 940 nm (infrared), with 13 different wavelengths projected on the painting; the same time the camera acquire 13 images of the painting with different underlying layers in burst mode.

3. Art experts can access the erased signature and identify the pigments underneath the painting without damaging the painting itself. Painting photos are transferred to the Pigma software provides user a secure access to art's hidden information. It accurately identifies pigments and visualises underdrawings unlocking the unique signature of art.

Design Process:

Due to the unique needs of art investors/art appraisers/art restorers for an accessible tool to identify paintings, the design process focused on their specific work environments, including art galleries, art museums, and art restoration studios. In order to provide them with a user-friendly, affordable option, design decisions emphasised portability, usability and simplicity, and the new design could transcend the limitations of laboratory instruments.

Art experts' day-to-day working habits influenced the implementation of ideas to the form and function of the design. Extensive research and interviews were critical to the study, especially with the art restorer, art auction houses, and gallery specialists in Switzerland, as well as technical support from CSEM (Centre Suisse d'électronique et de microtechnique) engineering advance technology.

A series of ideations and iterations followed, each time marked by user testing with 3D-print prototypes and discussions with art experts. I was able to identify the needs of future users. In the context of art experts' working environment and production (selective laser sintering 3D printing) to maintain efficiency (simplify the overall assembly of the system), the component is in an eco-friendly and cost-efficient scheme and also fitting MATIS business model.

How is it different:

- "Apollo" portable design is unique, primarily when this was defined with the assistance of specialists considering the usability for art industry individuals.

- Compared to existing multispectral equipment on the market for use by engineers and technicians in laboratories, The detachable ring flash and the ability to work with existing SLR cameras on the market make the Apollo more cost effective and allow camera users to become familiar with its mode of operation more quickly.

- Apollo's portability offers the possibility of using it in flexible environments such as art restorers' studios, museums, galleries, etc. As a result, users no longer need to bring paintings to a professional laboratory, resulting in additional insurance and shipping costs.

Product Details:

- The flash controller part serves as a handle for user shooting photos stably and allow horizontal and vertical shooting intuitively.

- Its size is based on existing camera accessory ring flashes, and it contains 13 different LED bands ranging from 410nm (UV) to 940nm (IR) to meet most artistic diagnostic needs.

- The handheld size is that it makes the art authentication process much easier, It's particularly useful in art restoration workshops where space is contested.

- The intuitive and simplified product interface, which contains only the on/off button and the spectral dial, avoids the feeling of a scientific instrument, as it can be used by non-expert users. The colour spectrogram on the dial indicates the wavelength (in nm). Since technical language is often fatal for ultra-specific tools, colours can provide universalisation to the product.

- Between the lens and the grip, there are space for rotating the focus ring.

- Minimalist camera matte black surface, matching the camera body colour, with bright yellow on button and colour spectrum dial to highlight the interface area.

- The concept was to consider the entire lifecycle of the project, the ring flash body is made by PLA which is biodegradable under commercial composting conditions, moreover 3D printed production allows for easy replacement of product parts.

Future Plans

The next milestone will be on-site testing with an art restorer and painter in Switzerland. This project aims to produce it within the next one to two years.