PSO26 Freeform commentary

 What defines freeform in pen spinning?

A common interpretation seems to be something emphasising novelty (weird things not done much, with weirdness as an aim in itself), typically involving funny objects (3-sided mod, string etc) or tricks from other artforms (juggling, cardistry, magic etc).

I feel this is a good starting point, but misses the essence and potential in the boundary-breaking nature inherent in using elements outside of 'traditional PS'.

For example, some of the illusionary effects in switching appearance and/or number of mods are based in magic; but this allows an entirely new class of mechanics (spatial mechanics based on how perfectly mods are overlaid or hidden) to arise. In this example, setup - angle, background colours and lighting, clothing (e.g. long sleeves) also become major considerations directly impacting how the tricks are performed.

In freeform R1, I drew on some previously shown ideas (padrace op LOL) in hiding left hand for impressions like telekinesis. However, the actual 'theme' is manipulation of background. In hiding left hand with a black shirt, this introduces multiple 'layers' to the background; and this is extended on in using folded up portion of the black cloth to hide the yellow-white emboss V3. The intention was to challenge the idea that 'background is a fixed, constant thing in PS that we do not consider manipulating'. This combo was very well received, so I'm happy. While 'background being constant' (which I contradicted by changing) is a core tenet of traditional PS, there are many more ways to manipulate background that I wasn't able to show...partly due to camera exposure changing mid-video LOL. For example, I considered creating Frieren's 'magic that makes a field of flowers' by hiding flowers under background layers; or using monitors with changing images (if you're very rich you could even rent out a 3D dome projector like in IMAX theatres...) 

Of course, changing 'fundamental things not considered to be subject to manipulation' goes a lot further than this. Pen spinning is mainly communicated by the act of recording videos, with effects arising from movement of mods and fingers/hands; with recording done from a fixed angle (usually at a desk, or over a bed). As such, the act of recording and the considerations to generate effects from mod and hand are fundamental aspects in representation of PS.

In freeform R2, I sought to challenge these fundamental representative notions. The deeper aim was once again, a simulation (like how WT21 R5 was conceived) - if I was competing against many creative spinners of my 18 year solo's level, how would I surpass them? As that solo demonstrated several major conceptual proofs, I wanted freeform R2 to show multiple conceptual proofs in one combo.

Major proofs R2 demonstrated:

- recording PS can be done at different angles within the same combo, with angle changes being a critical driver of impression, trick selection, and execution

- visual effects can be created by interactions directly between mod and scenery; and not just movements of mods and fingers (you probably would not use transparent mods in typical settings either) - as such, mods also become a medium for expression

Less significant (incidental, kinda) implications:

- PS is an activity for the outdoors too, including 'serious' combos

- specific skills in holding camera to allow angle-change based combos

- consideration of scenery in recording (landscape, weather etc) to create visual uniqueness - weather will not be exactly the same the next day (or even the next hour)

I conceived freeform R2 around start of 2026. It didn't take long to make it consistent indoors with my preferred emboss v3.1 pair. I first tried to record it at a cliff near Coogee beach (close to where the fl ia ~ ss x 10 over cliff was filmed) with Nope Field pair, but it was incredibly windy. I also realised that using regular mods misses major aspect of interacting with scenery. After that, I ordered parts for the transparent mods, and chose Cremorne Point as filming location, which is far less windy. This location has personal significance, since it stood out to me when I took a walk on a day off after submitting a journal paper written over 3-4 days (first actual paper I tried to submit during my PhD...it was rejected, not surprisingly...way too rushed lol). So I took ferry to that location and thought I'd have a really good chance at landing the combo since I'd done it 6 times in a row with regular mods at home. I sat down, warmed up, tried to record and...muscle memory literally forgot how to hold and move the camera - it took a few minutes just to rediscover the movements with the changes in posture and environment. After that, it took another 11 minutes to get 1 take (what the hell? isn't this breakdown something I can do every 2nd or 3rd attempt?). Fortunately it got better after that, until mods nearly rolled down rock and into ocean. I scraped my knees and arm retrieving them, so this is the only combo that literally drew blood (lol). Eventually I had over a dozen drafts (with about 3-4 minutes per draft), which I reviewed...and found out a lot of the stuff was offcam in every draft. This is despite doing some preliminary recording at home to see if it'd go offcam (I think the exact movements I did outdoors were a bit different, which was enough to mess up the framing). It was getting dark, so I made some fast changes to the camera positioning in several parts of the combo and fortunately it worked out - total of 20 drafts. Somehow, the last 3 drafts were actually starting to get more offcam again; I think the chosen draft was the 4th last one. In hindsight, the effort used in producing this combo is a bit ridiculous - the breakdown isn't that tough, so why did I have to draw out so much capacity to render the final draft? It seems there are many 'not quite PS skills' required in approaching PS in this fashion - even if a spinner has a some experience and some skills, there will be unexpected challenges (similar to how spatial mechanics in 18 year solo were incredibly annoying to perform decently...ugh). I considered going to that location another day to capture clouds in sky along with sunset, but I waited for rest of the week and the sky was always perfectly clear...

This combo represents my ideals for freeform as a theme (at least as much as I can manifest in reality as of middle of 2026). I believe I managed to effectively challenge fundamental aspects of approaching PS as an artform, to represent PS in an entirely different fashion. Maybe it seems a bit much, but I would consider this combo to possibly be the third 'great combo' I've ever made, alongside WT19 R5 and WT21 R5 - in my heart, the vision and implications it represents for abstraction in PS are as great as the technical implications and dedicated training used for those R5 combos. I love this artform so, so, so much...

I feel spinners tend to look at my technical abilities, competition record and so on, rather than the creativity, insight, or thought processes behind how my works evolved. In entering freeform, I wanted to encourage people to consider my combos in terms of the latter aspects too.

As always, I hope my work left an impression on you!