**9. Conclusions**

At first glance, z-axis decisions may appear to be matters of technique. In practice, however, the holographic plate serves as a boundary with strong narrative potential. A scene with objects set behind the plate evokes distance as being in the past—beyond the reach of viewer influence. Imagery at the plate itself approaches a photographic context, corresponding point-to-point with the world. Sandwiched between the past and future, the plate anchors the viewer in the present moment. Light-forms hovering in front of the holographic plate escape the fixity of gravity and encourage viewer involvement. As viewers reach for the light-form, they cross a bridge to a world of fiction. Weightless 3-D images become messages in a holographic bottle. By tapping into the power that the uncanny light-form can provoke, artists may break a glass barrier between mind and possible futures. Time and timelessness are simultaneously promoted by the holographic artist, who is already shaping a range of possible narratives as the three spaces along the z-axis converse with each other.

**Funding:** This research paper received no external funding.

**Acknowledgments:** With thanks for hologram production assistance to the Center for Holographic Art, Ana Maria Nicholson, Dan Schweitzer, Sam Moree, Ikuo Nakamura, Kate Yourke, Lillian Vila Licht and David Licht. Thanks for exhibition support to Thomas Cvetkovich and the Butler Institute, Youngstown, Ohio. Thanks for editorial assistance to Gordon Pradl and Molly Gallentine.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.
