Interactive Camera Obscura!!

[tim810]

Hi all,
I am an amateur Photographer in Willimantic CT. At the moment and for the past 2 years or so I have been shooting 8x10 film exclusively. On occasion I turn my bathroom into a Camera Obscura with a pinhole for a lens. I have seen photographs where rooms have been turned into a Camera Obscura than photographed as in the book Camera Obscura by artist Abelardo Morell. His book is the inspiration for my project. Abelardo Morell intermingled cityscapes with office space or someone’s bedroom; it was interesting to see how the two spaces could co-exist.
Back to where I live. Willimantic CT (also dubbed Heroin capital of CT) is a small city in eastern CT with a relatively boring Main street, except for every third Thursday during the summer, where Main st. comes alive. Hundreds of people of different cultures and ethnicities come out to play. Music (there are 4-5 stages each with different music), Food (everything from Falafel to Kielbasa), crafts (pottery, textiles). This is also a big night for the Gallery on Main st "Windham Arts Center". WAC usually features Local artists during the Third Thursday Party. To put all this into perspective I live in a 2nd story walk up overlooking Main st. Since I have moved here I have been trying to find a location that would optimize the Third Thursday experience on film. ( willimanticstreetfest.com )
Finally, one day after chatting with my neighbor about all the projects I am working on, something dawned on me. I should do an interactive Camera Obscura Exhibit at WAC on Third Thursday. 1) I could build the Camera in the front room of the gallery overlooking Main st. Making sure there was a provision that kept the room light tight (double curtains for walking through). 2) I would set up my camera in the corner. 3) Let people wander through the camera and visualize what it is like to be inside of a camera. 4) Take photos of what is being projected (upside down and backwards) from the party outside, and the people wandering through the exhibit.
I Proposed the idea to the gallery and have gotten really good response and will probably set it up for Aug next year.
I am posting this to get Ideas and to see what people think. Also if anyone has any resources for a project like this let me know.
Thank you for reading my rambles
Tim

[jb7]

Sounds like a great project, very architectural-
I remember when I was in London a few years ago,
schools such as the Bartlett School of Architecture in UCL had students who were very interested in all the things this represented- space, obviously, memory, time-
as well as the fetisization of the objects used to do the recording-

If ever there was a photographic project where the process is as important as the product,
the Camera Obscura has got to be right up there-

joseph

[Dick Hilker]

Thanks for the idea, Tim! Might be something to work into an exhibit of pinhole photography we're considering for the new art center here in Plymouth.

[Phil]

Tim,

A talked to a woman who had a camera obscura set up as part of her photo display in the farmers/artists market in town this past summer. She had been playing with the design for a while and it worked well on sunny days. She was considering changing the pinhole to an iris that could be adjusted - I suggested an old process lens iris might work. Here's a link with a photo:

http://theamazingtravelingcamera.blogspot.com/

A few years ago the Firehouse Gallery had a reopening show after a major renovation. Someone set up a camera obscura, a black plastic and duck tape tent by a window inside a large room - it was probably 8' wide by 10' deep. They had a light trap set up for entry and the back wall was white sheet. It took a few minutes for your eyes to adjust unless the sun was shining, but the image was pretty good.

Phil

[tim810]

I just droped the proposal at the gallery today and spoke with the director who had already heard of my idea for the Camera Obscura project from my neighbor. The director just asked when and what space will I need (NO HESITATIONS AT ALL). It will correspond with the May Third Thursday Street Fest on I think the 15th. I have the front gallery space to build my camera out of. The show will last the entire month or longer. The other thing is durring the same month There is a group of High School students from all over the state doing a Photo/written word exhibit, they will have a chance to walk through the camera and I will do a demonstration and talk on what I do. This whole thing is just really exciting for me. It will show people the deliberateness of what we do as LF users, as well as show people that even though the Camera Obscura is an old process, this is still what is used in cameras today. Execution of the process may differ but the original method is still in place.

Tim

[claudiocambon]

Tim,

I grew up in North Windham, on Beaver Hill Road, Small world, huh?

Sounds like a good idea.

My favorite camera obscura project is still the guy who converted the washing machines to be both cameras and developers. He had re-rigged them to develop and stop and fix and wash using the machine's cycles. Amazing mix of low and high tech thinking.

Have fun, and contact me if you need reerences. I still know people in the are, including artists.

Claudio

[tim810]

Did you see the Photo of the frog bridge in Willimantic, it is on my webpage. I took it about a month ago with my 8x10.
Small world indeed.
Tim

I will check out the washing machines.

Tim,

I grew up in North Windham, on Beaver Hill Road, Small world, huh?

Sounds like a good idea.

My favorite camera obscura project is still the guy who converted the washing machines to be both cameras and developers. He had re-rigged them to develop and stop and fix and wash using the machine's cycles. Amazing mix of low and high tech thinking.

Have fun, and contact me if you need reerences. I still know people in the are, including artists.

Claudio