Royal Holo Society

Yesterday, the RPS Holography Group held its AGM at Gallery 286, where I also regularly host committee meetings.
For those not familiar with it, the Royal Photographic Society was founded in 1853 and is the foremost photographic society in the world http://www.rps.org/

The Holography Group has been going since 1983 and I have been the Treasurer all that time.
We have held regular meetings, organised conferences and exhibitions and been addressed on a wide variety of subjects by holographers from all around the world.

In the past year we held a conference on the subject of Holography in the Modern Museum at De Montfort University, Leicester http://river-valley.tv/conferences/himm2008/
and members of the group made a hologram of one of the most famous timepieces in the world, Harrison's Chronometer, at Greenwich Maritime Museum
At last night's meeting we agreed to send one of our members, Jeff Blyth, to the ISDH in China; discussed ideas for other holographic subjects the group could tackle and came up with suggestions for a number of speakers that could address the group in the following year. We also found time for a few glasses of wine and to view Martin Richardson's current exhibtion

For those with a wide interest in the art and science of photography, the RPS offers many benefits among which is the opportunity to apply for a Distinction in the subject of your choosing, including holography
You can find out more about the group, read articles, view the gallery and search the archive at
http://www.holography.co.uk/RPS/home.html

Pim Gimbels

I forgot to mention that the Private View at 286 was also attended by Pim Conradi (AKA Giebels) who was one of the West Coast gang with Lloyd Cross and Jerry Pethick, and featured in the '76/77 MOH exhibition 'Through the Looking Glass'.

Pim also has some great stories about meeting up with Salvador Dali that he ought to tell to the History Group. Although he has always maintained an interest in holography, Pim has been working for many years on amazing intricate structures that occupy a middle ground between sculpture and living space. I know he would love to make colour holograms of these.

Check them out at www.visionstructures.co.uk <

and you can see some of his early transmission work at http://www.jrholocollection.com/collection/giebels.html

Another Day, Another Private View

Sunday lunchtime viewings at 286 are generally a more laid back and sparsely attended affair than weeknights, and today's was pretty much as usual but some friends old and new turned up including new kid on the holography block, Rosetta Whitehead, whose stereogram portrait by Martin Richardson featured on the invitation to the show.

Rosetta's Dad is the celebrated documentary film-maker Peter Whitehead, a real 60's legend who I met some years ago through our mutual interest in holography. Peter is also a prolific author and his 1994 publication "The Risen", subtitled "A Holographic Novel", would probably appeal to readers of these pages. You can find details at http://www.peterwhitehead.net/. 

Rosetta expressed an interest in holography and so I introduced her to the works of Graham Saxby. She has clearly inherited her father's "Can-do" attitude for in no time at all she was making Denisyuk holograms on the floor of her student flat in Leeds, where she was studying photography. Introductions to Nick Hardy and Martin Richardson fuelled her ambitions and she recently completed her BA thesis "The Social Impact of Pictorial Space" How did society react to the development of 'pictorial illusion' and how has the recent technology of Holography followed or differed from previous technologies?
Here's Rosetta in front of her portrait 'Atomic Luv'.

I gather she has received a grant to attend the ISDH in China this July and seems set to become one of the next generation of women holographers. I look forward to exhibiting her work at 286 one day.

Also attending today's viewing was Pearl John,who currently has a hologram on display at the MIT Museum, seen here sharing a joke with Martin.

The exhibition contains some large format 2D works by Martin and here he is explaining the 3D laser scannng techniques he employed in creating 'Digital Dreams', the central image.

dimensioned... runs until February 28th.

Absent Friends

 (Feb 14 2009)

Strange to find that my Featured Day is also St. Valentine's. Since my father died on February 14th 2001 it has had a double meaning for me and I thought it appropriate to remember some departed holography friends who, if they were still here, would doubtless be joining us on this network.

Steve Benton, inventor of Rainbow holography and tireless champion of holography in both science and art worlds.

A brilliant mind and a great communicator but also a fun guy.
Here's Steve with some pals at the Holographics International conference in 1992

from left to right: Roberta Booth, SB, Sunny Bains, Eve Ritscher, Paula Dawson

There are some Benton holograms at www.jrholocollection.com/collection/benton.html

Dan Schweitzer, who made some beautiful poetic and technically masterful rainbow holograms at New York Holographic Studios where, along with Sam Moree, he passed on his craft to many aspiring holographers.

Here's Dan at the Holo Center NYC, where he continued to work and teach alongside Ana Maria Nicholson.

Some of Dan's holograms can be seen at www.jrholocollection.com/collection/schweitzer.html

Harriet Casdin-Silver who, along with Margaret Benyon and Anait, made up a triumvirate of pioneering women holographers. Harriet took an unflinching look at the human body in her figurative work and conjured visual conundrums from everyday objects. She was also one of the first to make her art wherever good facilities were to be found and worked with some of the best technicians on the planet.

Here in her Boston studio on August 20th 2001 with one of the larger than life stereogram portraits she made with John Perry.

You can see and read more about Harriet at www.jrholocollection.com/collection/casdin.html

Rudie Berkhout, another New York based holographer of great distinction. Initially famous for his gorgeous multiple exposure geometric white light transmission works like 12mW Boogie, Rudie worked in reflection holography at the end of his career, creating equally beautiful pieces.

Photographed here, on 15th August 2001, with a study for Odyssey 2001, a collaboration with the painter Ward Bos.

There are a few Rudie images here www.jrholocollection.com/collection/berkhout.html
and this is the official Rudie Berkhout website  www.rudieberkhoutcollection.com

Private View at 286

dimensioned...opened last night and, despite flurries of snow in London and heavy weather on the roads into town, the show was well attended with lots of 286 regulars, a bunch of art students (many from the Royal College, where Paul Scattergood is now based) and a smattering of hardcore holographers. Paula Dawson flew in from Lithuania where she had been working on a project with Geola. Ian Lancaster covered the event for Holography News and Inaki Beguiristain drove for 5 hours through the snow to be there. I expect more holography people at the Sunday lunch opening.

Here's a picture of Paula Dawson and Martin Richardson with Martin's new colour stereograms behind.

That's laserist Jim Webb, another 286 regular, to the right.

Lenticulars proved to be the hot seller of the evening with several of Martin Richardson's pieces acquiring a red spot, including his 38"x35" portrait of David Bowie, which went to a Chinese collector for a cool £5K. (I haven't banked the cheque yet). Holograms and paintings haven't started moving yet but the visitors were blown away by the colour stereograms.

Here's Paul Scattergood with some of his

The big surprise of the evening for me was a visit from Ann Sullivan , who was one of the original team behind The Hologram Place, my first gallery, back in 1978. Ann was sent on a buying trip to New York to get work for the opening show and came back with some great material from Dan Schweitzer and other NY pioneers, that was to form the basis for my collection when noone bought them from the gallery. I hadn't seen Ann since 1980 so it was great to catch up.

You can see more installation shots of the show at http://www.gallery286.com/specialevents/dimensioned/install.html

New Show at Gallery 286

I am pleased to announce the first exhibition this year at Gallery 286, London:

dimensioned...

NEW WORK FROM MARTIN RICHARDSON & PAUL SCATTERGOOD

Holography is set to enter a new era as digital technology enables a far-wider range of practitioners to create full colour holographic Images from 3D animations and video material. dimensioned... showcases some of the best work yet in this new format.

Martin Richardson, the first artist to gain a PhD in fine art holography at the Royal College of Art in 1988, is currently Professor of Modern Holography at De Montfort University, Leicester and continues to push the boundaries of the holographic arts with his students there. One of these was Paul Scattergood, recently transferred to the RCA himself and, together with Martin, showing new work at Gallery 286, the only place in England you can depend on finding the latest holographic developments.

The exhibition consists of full-colour animated digital holographic stereograms, figurative in the case of Richardson, abstract in Scattergood's, along with lenticular images and large format paintings from another aspect of Scattergood's practice.

Preview the show at http://www.gallery286.com/specialevents/dimensioned.html

I hope some of you will be able to make it to one of the Private Views (details on the website)