revealed introduced

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revealed is a good candidate for using the dot.business model.

revealed

a potential international company for contemporary art and photography

Using the dot.model

Visual artists and photographers from around the world offer prints of their work globally via the revealed international website. And customers from around the world order prints (usually a limited edition), which will be produced locally.

An example

Mariella lives on Sardinia, and documents cork trees, cork tree workers, and cork tree bark processing. Some of her images go way beyond the documenting quality, and a friend suggests that she should offer the photos as Fine Art Prints via revealed international.
Revealed agrees that these photos qualify for limited editions and adds them to their website.
Some weeks later Bing in Shanghai sees the photos and chooses one of them.
The price for the Fine Art Print is the same around the world, and there is no minimum order volume. Each print is produced individually at the location of the buyer, so long as the maximum of the limited edition isn’t reached.
Within seven days, the revealed station in Shanghai produces the print and delivers it to Bing.

One disadvantage of this approach is that not all prints will be signed by the artist. But the revealed workshop is authorised to issue a Certificate of Authenticity, plus the workshop uses a special code system to make fraud nearly impossible.
There could also be something like a letter by the artist as an additional proof of authenticity and in place of the signature on the print.

revealed workshops & revealed stations

Since limited edition prints don’t have big order volumes, it makes sense only to work with revealed stations. Workshops would probably not get enough work. (Online note: workshops are smaller units to take load off the stations but also so that a company like dot. is rooted in more communities. revealed stations would already serve a pretty large region to get enough orders that’s why workshops probably don’t make sense.

revealed stations

A revealed station will probably work best if it diversifies and adds related businesses, services and educational offers from the beginning.
Such offers could include everything photographers and painters need, such as cameras or canvases.
Plus, a revealed station can work for or with other stations. For example, a papermaker at a revealed station could also supply a book station. The same goes for colours.

Crafts, services and events at a revealed station

  • papermaker
  • colour maker
  • photo chemicals maker
  • printers
  • frame makers / mounting experts
  • carpenters / woodworkers
  • wall painters / wall colours
  • light designer / lamp builder / electrician
  • lens, filter and camera builder
  • developer and producer of photo equipment
  • camera shop & camera service
  • camera & equipment rental
  • photo studio
  • make-up artists
  • soap opera shop
  • hairdresser
  • gallery
  • art dealer
  • arts supplies producer
  • arts supplies shop
  • arts events
  • photo trips
  • support for arts projects

Another example

Cedric has found an amazing photograph which he wants to be the main piece in his study. For that he wants a new wall colour and additional lights.
Luckily, the local revealed station offers an all-round service.
Cedric discusses all details via video-chat with the revealed station, and chooses the colour for the wall, the new lights, the hanging method, and the frame.
Within three days, the wall in his study is prepared, and after another two days, the new photograph is delivered and mounted.

Research, innovation & education
at revealed international

Online note: revealed international would be the international headquarter for revealed

  • research into raw materials for paper/photo paper
  • research into sustainable production methods for papers
  • papermaker seminars
  • research into avoiding toxins in printing & painting
  • colour maker seminars
  • research print methods
  • develop innovative printing machines (avoid multifunctional)
  • research how to replace plastic in the photo & arts sector
  • research into ethics for photographers
  • research into voyeurism and sexism in photography
  • innovations for cameras
  • innovations for photo equipment
  • innovations for photographer outfits in cooperation with dot.
  • image processing software development
  • image filters development
  • photo seminars
  • photography academy

Most innovative work and research will be done by revealed international. All results will be shared across the network.
Bigger revealed stations will also have a research & innovations team.

And of course, like all stations, the revealed station can be further extended to include gardens, accommodations, further educational options, spaces for other small businesses, bars, restaurants and the like.
And there could be frequent exhibitions and maybe even conferences on how to keep the arts alive while reducing waste and the use of toxins, and avoiding transportation.

Gardens at a revealed station

The Image Garden is a garden with stationary and mobile frames, allowing the visitor to train their eyes to pick the details that make an image.

The Picture Garden is a garden with photographs and paintings with a relation to the surroundings.

The Gallery Garden presents artistic works outdoors.

The Posing Garden. This garden offers natural and built sceneries which are ideal and fun backdrops for photo shoots and selfies.

The Painters Garden is a garden with several painting spots, easels included.

The Photographers Garden is a garden for photographers where they can experiment.

The Flowers for Colours Garden. In this garden the focus is on flowers that can be used in colour productions.

The Colours Garden. In this garden, the focus is on colours and colour combinations both via the composition of the plants and via additional art works.

The Balance Garden. At a revealed station The Balance Garden is primarily for photographers who want to train and improve their sense of balance.

There are many other gardens that could be integrated at revealed stations.

Another example

Jayden and River have travelled from their home town to the regional revealed station and are set on making a day of it.
At the gate they rent a camera, developed by revealed, so that they can test it and document their day.
As the couple walk through the gate, they enter The Gallery Garden which has amazing artwork hanging from the trees like oversized leaves swinging in the breeze.
Halfway through the garden they see the dot.costumes pavilion and spend some fun time choosing flamboyant outfits for their photo day.
For a while they forget their plans and pose for each other’s cameras in The Gallery Garden.

When Jayden and River feel a little peckish, the couple follow the signs to the Picture Lounge which offers breakfast at the tables, and a visual feast on its walls.

The couple already bought two prints online, and they chose the option to be present when their prints are produced. Just in time, they find the print workshop. Here they can review their choice of paper, and when everything is set, they are present as their prints come into being.
They don’t stay for the wrapping of the prints since they want to further explore the revealed station.
Apart from visiting all the other gardens, meeting some interesting photographers, having a photo shoot with a photographer, supper at the Mirrors Pub, drinks at the Light & Shadows Bar, and a snack at the Catch Me Café, their two highlights are the colours seminar and the opening of an exhibition, which presents the works of one of their favourite photographers, and the photographer it present.
When Jayden and River leave, pretty late in the evening and nicely tipsy, they hand back the cameras at the gate, get a copy of the photos they took and of the photos from their photo shoot on a USB drive, and they get their photo prints.
A little bit later, they take the last train back home.

revealed stations & book stations & dot.stations

As mentioned earlier, revealed stations and book stations could work with the same paper and colours suppliers.

There are more potential overlaps. The revealed station could, for example, provide artistic input for illustrations and photographs used in books, and in particular in bespoke books.
Development of special printing methods at revealed stations could be used for bespoke books, too.
And book stations could print photo catalogues for revealed artists.

revealed stations could also work with dot.stations and train photographers for fashion shoots, as well as connect photographers with dot.stations.
A photo studio makes sense at a dot.station, and it could include a gallery with a selection of revealed Fine Art Prints.
The photo studio could offer portraits with new dot.outfits, but also farewell photos with outfits that are due to be left at the dot.station for recycling or disposal.
And dot. could add a dot.costumes point to a revealed station for special photo shoots.

Additional notes

revealed international could become the umbrella company for independent photo studios which could benefit from research, education and the umbrella’s security net. The main objective would be to support photo studios in becoming more sustainable.

There is always the big question of how to calculate the price for a Fine Art Print with regard to the different taxes and tariffs.

Two options are possible: Have a net price and adjust the final price in each country. Or have the same price around the world, but get more or less money depending on where the print is sold due to the different tax & tariff costs.

I prefer the latter. After all, it’s not the customer’s fault what kind of tax/tariffs policies their government employs.

But neither way is quite satisfactory.

If you are interested, please, get in touch.