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3D Photographs Highlight Hardy Gallery Presentation June 13

They say a photograph is a door to the past. But what about three-dimensional photographs? On June 13, the Hardy Gallery will host an interactive exhibit of 19th century stereographs which will be presented by Michigan photographer and stereographer Colleen Woolpert at The Clearing Folk School.

An early form of three-dimensional photography, stereographs were widely used in the 19th century. Two almost-identical photos were placed adjacent to one another and viewed through a device called a stereoscope, which overlays the two images. This creates the optical illusion of depth from a two-dimensional object.

This might remind you of a toy you once had as a kid (remember that red, plastic View-Master with the slides of T-Rexes?). But they were once in extremely high demand, and not just by children.

Framed vintage late 19th century stereograph of the moon, with TwinScope Viewer hanging underneath. Photo courtesy of Colleen Woolpert.

Relatively inexpensive to make, stereograph cards were accessible to every class and were used to capture everything from everyday activities to major events, such as the Civil War or political events. Its accessibility was ensured in 1860 when Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., a poet and one of the original contributors to the monthly magazine The Atlantic (founded in 1857), invented and intentionally did not patent a very inexpensive stereoscope. Holmes published a review of stereographic viewing in 1859, describing the experience as, “a surprise such as no painting ever produced. The mind feels its way into the very depths of the picture. The scraggy branches of a tree in the foreground run out at us as if they would scratch our eyes out. The elbow of a figure stands forth as to make us almost uncomfortable.”

Looking upon images from faraway lands, people could for the first time in history have the experience of being transported away from their bodies.

Colleen Woolpert, an interdisciplinary artist based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan, had just such an experience which ended up shaping her career. “When I was a working photographer [in my 20s], I came across a stereograph [of a parade in Amsterdam] in a store.” Upon viewing the scene, Woolpert felt as if she “was in there amongst the crowd.” A journey then ensued over the next several years, in which Woolpert not only drew inspiration from her chance encounter with stereography but also from her twin sister, whose visual impairment limits her depth perception.

“Red Twin Blue Twin” by Colleen Woolpert.

After five years of work, Woolpert created an exhibition stereoscope, called the TwinScope, to enable her work in stereoscopics. With it, Woolpert has been revitalizing the stereograph medium by showing exhibits of stereographs since 2012. Her talk on June 13 will include the use of her TwinScope Viewer in addition to her talk on the fascinating history of stereographs.

A recipient of two grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, Woolpert has also been recognized with Juror’s Selection from Darren Ching (Klompching Gallery) in Same But Different at the New York Center for Photographic Art as well as a Top Knots Award from Photo District News. Woolpert’s photographs have appeared in a host of publications, including The New York Times. She currently teaches in the Photography and Intermedia Department at Western Michigan University.

Stop by The Clearing in Ellison Bay on June 13 at 2 pm to get transported back to the very beginning of photography.

 

To learn more about Colleen Woolpert and her TwinScope Viewer projects, visit colleenwoolpert.com.

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