Pin Art or Pinscreen is an executive toy

Executive toy

An executive toy is a novelty item that is usually a small mechanical gadget placed on the desk of a corporate executive or other office workers...

 patented by Ward Fleming. It consists of a boxed surface made of a crowded array of pins that are free to slide in and out independently in a screen to create a three-dimensional

Three-dimensional space

Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameters model of the physical universe in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.In physics and mathematics, a...

 relief. Other similar product names are "PinPressions" and "Pinhead". Pinscreens were previously applied as animation in films

Pinscreen animation

Pinscreen animation makes use of a screen filled with movable pins, which can be moved in or out by pressing an object onto the screen. The screen is lit from the side so that the pins cast shadows...

.

Pinscreen toys were once made of metal pins. Because the metal pins were heavier and bent easily, newer Pinscreen toys are generally made of plastic pins.

a giant 4' x 8' pinscreen is at Technorama in Winterthur

Winterthur

Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. This screen is like a large 3D drawing pad that can work with different sizes of paintbrushes for calligraphy.

Pinscreens in popular culture

• The pinscreen was popularized in the 1985 music video for the Midge Ure
  Midge Ure
  James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
  
   song "If I Was
  If I Was
  "If I Was" is a popular song written by Midge Ure and Danny Mitchell. It reached #1 on the UK singles chart for a single week in October 1985. This was Ure's third number one, coming after his success with Slik in 1976 and Band Aid in 1984...
  
  ", which included a giant body-sized version.
• A 1997 Coca-Cola
  Coca-Cola
  Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
  
   ad, directed by Industrial Light & Magic, involves the use of a Computer-generated imagery
  Computer-generated imagery
  Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
  
   pinscreen.
• A digitally-produced pinscreen is featured in the 2005 music video for the Nine Inch Nails
  Nine Inch Nails
  Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
  
   song "Only
  Only (Nine Inch Nails song)
  "Only" is a song by Nine Inch Nails. It was released as the second single from Nine Inch Nails' fourth album With Teeth. "Only" reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, where it stayed for seven weeks...
  
  ", directed by David Fincher
  David Fincher
  David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
  
  .
• Similar to "Only," a digitally-produced pinscreen is featured in the 2008 music video for the Eagles of Death Metal
  Eagles of Death Metal
  Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre...
  
   song "Wannabe in LA
  Heart On
  Heart On is the third studio album from American rock band Eagles of Death Metal, released on Oct 28, 2008.When asked about the album, lead singer Jesse Hughes stated: "EODM's latest fabulous weapon, a top-secret music missile, a sonic warhead sexually tipped for her pleasure, shot from the deck of...
  
  ".
• A 2007 advertising campaign by the Discovery Channel
  Discovery Channel
  Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
  
   involved a pinscreen forming various images, such as that of the Sydney Opera House
  Sydney Opera House
  The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
  
  and whales.