Laser cut zoetropes from animated GIFs

Now you can really save your clips to the desktop.

Launching into the public arena through yet another Kickstarter campaign comes Physical GIF, a project from NYU graduates Greg Borenstein and Scott Wayne Indiana.

Fresh from their Digital Fabrication class, the concept is to combine two elements of techno-nostalgia (digital animations + 19th century zoetropes) into one show-stopping tabletop novelty.

We all know and love animated GIF images… they have been with us since the earliest days of the internet, and are still going strong even with html5 and other new-fangled technologies looming large. Greg and Scott celebrate these silent flickering favourites by releasing the animations from their digital confines.

How do they do this? The individual frames of the GIF animations are edited to include little tabs and then laser cut, to be reunited on a turntable device. When the turntable spins and is illuminated with a strobe light, persistence of vision creates a fluid animation for your viewing pleasure.

Head over to Kickstarter to read all about it, and see what you can get your hands on in return for supporting the project.

Physical GIF via BoingBoing