THE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY HOLOGRAPHY GROUP
AT
DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
"Holography in the Modern Museum"
Audio Recordings of
the
Conference
Papers
are
now
ON-LINE
THEME:
TO PROMOTE THE USE AND UNDERSTANDING OF
HOLOGRAPHY IN MUSEUMS
- Display Holography is a tool that has been used by various museums
around the world since the medium was first developed in the 1960s
recent developments in
full colour techniques make it far more viable and attractive.
.
-
Holography has
proved a popular subject for museum exhibits in the past but has
recently been neglected by curators, who tend to have little experience
of the medium
-
Holography, as a useful
tool in conservation work, is not widely understood.
The goal of the conference is to address some of these
issues by inviting speakers with experience of working in the various areas
and by inviting museum professionals to attend.
THE
PROGRAM WAS:
9.00 - 9.50 Registration
9.50 Welcome
10.00
Prof.Hans Bjelkhagen
- A world-renowned scientist and
expert on holographic emulsions and museum displays.
Abstract:
Colour
Holography: The Ultimate Imaging Technique for Museums
An overview of the colour
holographic recording technique is presented.
Colour
holography is the most accurate imaging technology known to
science. It is now possible to produce 3D holographic images for
display that are almost indistinguishable from the original
object or scene. Colour holography offers an alternative route
for the display, dissemination, study and investigation of rare
or fragile or culturally sensitive
artifacts. It also
offers a route to novel display techniques and enables museum
objects too fragile for normal display to be shown. An advantage
is that rare, precious or high value artifacts can be displayed
without any concern about theft or damage thus reducing costs
for insurance, shipping, etc. Until recently display holography
was usually associated with monochrome 3D imaging. After the
appearance of colour holography it has become possible to record
holographic images of 2D objects, such as oil paintings. A
holographic contact recording of a painting reproduces the
painting with all its surface texture details preserved, such as
brush strokes, the painter's signature, etc. Possessing an exact
copy of the painting could be important for insurance and
restoration purposes, in case of theft or damage. The paper also
discusses the rendition of colour in a hologram. The major
advantages of holographic reproduction are discussed together
with its limitations.
Professor Hans
I. Bjelkhagen, Centre for Modern Optics at NEWI/OpTIC, St. Asaph
LL17 0JD, Wales, UK
E-mail: hansholo@aol.com
10.30
John Webster
- Pioneer of the use of
holography for museum conservation projects.
Abstract:
Holography &
Associated
Laser Techniques in the world of Museum Artefacts
Holography and
associated laser based recording techniques have applications in
museum situations. The USSR initially lead in this field; namely
by the “father” of this type of holography, Professor Uri Denisyuk,
who developed the technology to a point where it was used for
travelling holographic exhibitions of historic Russian artefacts.
Probably one of the many milestones in the progress of holography
for museum (among other) applications was the engineering of the
pulsed ruby laser during the early 80’s. It attained a level where
it could be reliably used for holography on unstable subjects such
as living creatures both in the laboratory and under difficult field
conditions; more latterly this system has been succeeded by the ND
Yagx2 systems. Examples of making holographic recordings under
extremely difficult field conditions will be discussed and
illustrated.
The paper discusses the application of laser recording, for
three-dimensional display of ancient artefacts and medical
dissections, for museum exhibition in hospitals. The paper also
discuses non-destructive testing techniques for the detection of
subsurface damage on such items such as paintings where debonding
between painted surfaces and their supporting background may have
occurred. A further associated technique is also discussed which
detects defects in ancient metal structures. This latter technique
was used on the Marco Aurelio equestrian bronze, located in Rome.
Prof. John M
Webster
School of Engineering
Kings College. University of Aberdeen.
Scotland. UK AB24 3EU
Tel: (44) (0)7802 440 350
11.00
Dietmar Öhlmann
- Artist,
holographer and founder of artBridge, Syn4D™ GmbH.
Odile
Meulien Öhlmann
-
Sociologist, Founder of the Art, Science and Technology
Institute and the Museum of Holography, Washington DC , Editor
of ArtBridge and Co founder of Syn4D™ GmbH.
With the contribution of Dr.
Christoph Börner, Physics and Exhibition coordinator in Phaeno,
the science Museum in Wolfsburg, die Autostadt”, and some other
interviews of German museum curators.
Abstract:
“Synfograms™,
Inscribe Space/time information for museum”
In these past 30years, Holography
has been mainly used in museum for exhibitions itself. Now, in
our digital world, Space – time coordinates can be printed as
digital Holograms, giving a new educational tool to museum.
Digital 4 dimensional files are available as DICOM in medicine,
CAD in Engineering and Architecture, and as 3-D scan format in
Geography and digital Archaeology. Our experience with museums
shows the interest of digital holography especially for its
visual, educational and attractive capacity of presentation.
Presentations in museums required from curators almost a
scientific approached of what is possible with what they dreams
to use for their exhibitions. Syn4D™ is offering a full service
of imaging creation and display of synthetic 4dimensional
information called Synfograms. The main advantage to use
digital holograms lay in the capacity to create, not just
reproduce content in time and space, showing what otherwise
would not be possible to explain and visualised. The price, the
additional lightning, and limited mass production still make the
media a luxury. XYZ imaging and Geola uab Zebra or HoloPrint
made this wonderful technology available on the market. We
provide the interface between the conceptual ideas, printable
file, and final display which communicate the museums need, and
the technology. According to the museums, we have been working
on different applications and presentations types, which will be
illustrated in this lecture.
11.30
Yves Gentet
- One of the leading proponents of
full-colour holographic displays.
Click
here for a
resume of Yves Gentet and
Michael Shevtsov's
report.
12.00
Dr.Martin Richardson
- Royal College of Art
graduate and fine artist. has exhibited widely and worked in
holographic education. Currently with De Montfort University
Abstract:
HARRISONS ‘H4’ HOLOGRAMS:
Stopping Time.
On the evening of 13th March 2008, between the hours
of 6:00pm and 2:00am,
five reflection holograms were recorded of
John Harrison’s
fourth timekeeper ‘H4’, at the Royal Observatory, National
Maritime Museum in Greenwich,
London. Arguably the
most important timekeeper ever made this watch finally solved
one of the greatest scientific problems of its time, that of
finding Longitude and marked the beginning of accurate global
positioning. In recent years public awareness of the watch has
witnessed an unprecedented level of popularity, together with a
string of authoritative writings including the release of Dava
Sobels book, ‘Longitude’, with introduction by NASA astronaut
Neil Armstrong, a filmed drama adaptation and even a television
sitcom ‘Only Fools and Horses’ where viewing figures reached a
record twenty-four million. The watch, its history and its place
in history, remain subject of fascination and curiosity. Now its
journey to hologram is traced in this
paper through the events of that March evening.
Professor Martin Richardson.
Department of Imaging & Communication design, D
e
Montfort University, Leicester.
F
ig
1. John Harrison’s fourth timekeeper ‘H4,’ made in 1759
This paper will be followed by the formal presentation of the
hologram to
Jonathan Betts
of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
12.00 Lunch Break
2.00
Andrew Pepper
- Andrew Pepper is an artist, lecturer in fine art, founding
editor of the Creative Holography Index and has, for the past ten
years, advised organisations dedicated to the support of creative
holography.
Abstract:
The Perception of Reality - Looking at
Looking
Much of our understanding of the world
comes from looking at the things which surround us. Hologaphy is
the first technique, since the invention of linear perspective
during the Renaissance, to offer a fundamentally different method of
recording and displaying space and the objects within it. If
holography reproduces the light which originally came from an
object, what is it that we see when we look at the hologram? Does
this ‘possible illusion’ have a place in museum culture?
This paper explores key
historical milestones in cultural holographic imaging, the paradox
of looking at, and interpreting, objects which are not actually
there and the creative potential, explored by artists, using
objects or the space where they once were.
2.30
Matthias Lauk
Abstract:
I have been asked to tell you about
my experiences as a curator and initiator of over 300 holography
exhibitions.
The fact is that the biggest hurdle
for curators to organize holography exhibitions is their lack of
knowledge, their preconception or even their lack of confidence.
Not that curators are too stupid to be interested in our
preferred media, holography, but they need, like most of us,
guidelines.
The problem is that holography had
from the beginning an ambivalent image presented on one hand as
new recording technique and as such a fascinating media, and on
the other hand a new form of art.
The producers of holography have
not been able over all the years, even through distinguished
conferences or opinion leaders, to get holography rightly
classified. Holography still is an opalescent visual media with
a fuzzy image. I may say that I may even have contributed to the
confusion by exhibiting holography as in well known art museums
in Hanover or Nürnberg, including the Ludwig Museum in Cologne,
but also in technical museums, e.g the Deutsche Museum in Munich
or the Museo de Sciencia in Barcelona. The commercial
exhibitions I did, I made a living out of my holography
exhibitions, in theme parks or commercial malls did not help the
matter. However, as over 3 Million people visited these
exhibitions, the media was discovered and commented.
Today, holography is still
“media” weeds or a media that has still not grown up. It will
have to acquire some maturity to be able to develop from a
fascination media into a well established and accepted
media with diverse and qualitative manifestations
Matthias Lauk
LAUK GmbH
Judenpfad 47 a
50996 Köln
Fon +49 (0)2236 - 84 86 0
Fax +49 (0)2236 - 84 86 36
Internet www.lauk.de
3.00
Ya-ling Huang
- From Kun Shan University in Taiwan
Abstract:
New Methods of Displaying Traditional Hand Puppet Theatre
Hand Puppet Theatre is a popular performing art in Taiwanese
society. According to reliable documents, Hand Puppet Theatre can be
traced back to the 17th century. Hand Puppet Theatre is
different from most of the traditional performing arts, telling
historical stories to an audience in front of a small stage.
The art of Hand Puppet Theatre is passed by its masters from
generation to generation, and there are more than a thousand Hand
Puppet Theatre performing groups in 10 different regions of Taiwan.
There are also two private museums devoted to the subject. Wooden
puppet styles and the movement of hand puppets vary according to
their origins. How to display the details of these regional
variations will be the main task of the of the Hand Puppet Theatre
collection. This project is going to focus on Hand Puppet Theatre
from the Northern Kaohsiung region of Taiwan, and combine
holographic motion picture with Hand Puppet Theatre to show the use
of new media in future displays of this traditional art form.
Ya-ling Huang
ylhuang@mail.ksu.eud.tw
Kun Shan University,
Taiwan
3.30
Sarah Maline, PhD
- Chair,
Department of Visual and Performing Arts,
Associate Professor of Art History University of Maine at
Farmington
Abstract:
Holography and New Media
Since its inception as a display medium,
holography has navigated a confusing channel through traditional
and contemporary visual languages in art. Holography is unusual
and frequently confounding in its ability to access a number of
medium-based aesthetic dialogues--those of cinema, video,
photography, installation, sculpture and painting. The medium's
surprising and delightful formal properties and complex
relationship to other mediums have often overshadowed the
significant conceptual content of holographic works. This paper
looks at the ways in which ways the multiple, often simultaneous
visual languages of holography continue to pose challenges in
exhibition and criticism for both holographers and curators.
What strategies can holographers and curators employ to
encourage the exhibition of holography and foster a
contemporary critical response? Further, now that new-media
aesthetics and criticism are ascendant, and have begun address
many of the critical questions that have confronted holography
over the past 40 years, in what ways can holography today engage
and find a place in new-media discourse?
Sarah Maline, PhD
Chair, Department of Visual and Performing Arts
Associate Professor of Art History
University of Maine at Farmington
Farmington, ME USA
4.00
Frank de Freitas
- Creator of the Holoworld website
Click here to
read press release
4.30
Conclusion
ALL CONFERENCE
PAPERS
ARE
NOW ON-LINE
The RPS Holography
Group acknowledges the support of
The Shearwater
Foundation and The International Holography Fund
FREE PAPERS ON-LINE:
For the archived papers from the RPS Holography Group Conference on
Holography, Art and Design
23 March 2002, London
Click
here