Pin Art

Pin Art is the name of an executive toy pinscreen, a boxed surface made of a crowded array of pins that are free to slide back and forth independently in a screen to create a three-dimensional relief. Other similar product names are "PinPressions" and "Pinhead". Pinscreens were previously applied as animation in films.

Pin Art toys were once made of metal pins. Because the metal pins bent easily, newer Pin Art toys are generally made of plastic pins. The plastic pins are thicker and do not move as easily as the metal pins, causing the toy to create a somewhat less detailed relief of an object.

Pinscreens in popular culture

* The pinscreen was popularized in the 1985 music video for the Midge Ure song "If I Was", which included a giant body-sized version.
* A 1997 Coca-Cola ad, directed by Industrial Light & Magic, involves the use of a CGI pinscreen.
* A digitally-produced pinscreen is also featured in the 2005 music video for the Nine Inch Nails song "Only", directed by David Fincher.
* Similar to "Only", a digitally-produced pinscreen is also featured in the 2008 music video for the Eagles of Death Metal song "Wannabe in LA".