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Sun, 11 Jun 2006 03:26:15 -0700

The worst thing about getting older is to see that your parents are getting older too and to realise that one day they won't be here anymore...

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Fri, 09 Jun 2006 06:30:37 -0700

An ode to Magic Lanterns

One of the predecessors of the moving picture was the Magic Lantern, a device facilitating the projection of images or series of images on the wall, much like the modern slide projector. It was dubbed magic since in the early days of the magic lantern the colorful images that mysteriously appeared on the wall or screen were attributed to magical powers.
When I was a kid, the father of one of my friends had an old Magic Lantern. I have fond memories of the afternoons that we would all gather on their attic and watch these old-fashioned slide-shows.

Like with most inventions, a lot of people were involved with the development of the magic lantern. The person credited for the invention is more often a case of nationalistic sentiments rather than historical accuracy.

The earliest references date from 1420 in Liber Instrumentorum, written by Giovanni da Fontana, a young Venetian academic in Padua. He illustrated the mischievous notion of painting demonic shapes on the horn window of an ordinary lantern in order to frighten people with the grotesque shadows thereby cast upon a wall (see right). Clearly the device has no projection lens, so the image it produced would not have been very sharp, though no doubt it served its purpose. Da Fontana may have described the first concept of a magic lantern, although there is no direct evidence that he was also involved in its invention.

Another famous figure in the history of the lantern was Athanasius Kircher, a German Jesuit priest and scientist. The 1646 edition of his Ars magna lucis et umbrae included the description of a primitive projection system whereby sunlight reflected off a mirror is projected through a lens on a screen. The second edition, published in 1671, included the first drawings of a magic lantern (see right). Kircher is often mistakingly credited for the invention of the magic lantern for when he published his drawings, the lantern was already described by many others and probably already in use.

A more likely candidate was Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch physicist studying optics and acclaimed for his wave theory of light. In Huygens' books we find the first description of a complete, working magic lantern and in 1659 already he constructed a projecting lantern with a three-element lens. For that reason Christiaan Huygens is today considered the most likely inventor of the magic lantern. (Of course, this claim may be a perfect example of the nationalistic sentiments I referred to earlier ;))
However Christiaan was not very proud of his invention. He was ashamed because it appeared that various swindlers were using his instrument to frighten people. His father, who served at the French court of Louis XIV, once ordered a lantern upon the king's request. Christiaan did not comply with this request because he was afraid that he would ridicule the Huygens family.

Around the same time Thomas Rasmussen Walgensten, a Danish mathematician, also started to develop working models of the lantern projector (see right). He was the first person to use the term Laterna Magica and not only realised the technical and artistic possibilities of the Magic Lantern, but also its economic potential, travelling round Europe demonstrating and selling them.

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Fri, 09 Jun 2006 06:29:48 -0700

From the 18th Century onwards hundreds of people where involved in the development of the lantern and its accessories. In the early years of the nineteenth century showmen with lanterns travelled around the country giving shows in the places they stopped. As magic lanterns became cheaper to buy, and readily available in shops, people could create Lantern shows for themselves at home.
In 1895 the Lumiere Brothers invented the Cinematographe and the Magic Lantern soon took second place. As motion picture developed, the lantern rapidly moved all the way to the background, only to be removed from its dusty corners by the odd collector and occasional magic lantern show, celebrating nostalgia.

Three magic lanterns, ca. 1860

Some antique magic lantern slides:

Sources and further reading:

The Magic Lantern Society
Antique Lantern Slides
De Luikerwaal - Dutch magic lantern site
Adventures in Cybersound- Magic Lanterns
A thrill in the dark - Victorian Magic Lantern shows

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Wed, 07 Jun 2006 08:49:37 -0700

A gift from yardaddy.

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Wed, 07 Jun 2006 08:11:13 -0700

Found on SerialSinner's pages

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Sun, 04 Jun 2006 00:14:52 -0700

I've come down with a fever (bit better now). Will visit you and answer you when I feel better again.

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Fri, 02 Jun 2006 10:30:16 -0700

As I mentioned already in a previous post, I had Greek and Latin classes in highschool for a few years. I didn't particularly like highschool to begin with (and that's an understatement) and learning Greek and Latin has sort of proved to be a waste of time, I can say in retrospect. However, we were also taught the Greek and Roman ancient myths, which are better than any soap-opera.
One of my favorite stories is not really a myth, at least not one where the many gods or half-gods star in. It is the story of Cleobis and Biton, told by Herodotus in The Histories

Cleobis and Biton were two brothers from Argos and sons of Cydippe, priestess of Hera. They were strong, young athletes and in the prime of their life. One day, Cydippe was on her way to a festival in honor of Hera, but the oxen was too tired to drag her chariot to take her there. And so Cleobis and Biton put themselves beneath the yoke and dragged her wagon, as swift as they could, all the way to Argos. When they arrived there, they were awaited by a cheering crowd that soon surrounded them. The Argive men praised their strength and stamina, the women complimented and congratulated Cydippe on her fine sons. Cydippe, proud mother as she was, prayed for Cleobis and Biton, who had honored her, that Hera give them the best that a man can get. After the banquet the two brothers laid themselves down to sleep in the temple, only to never rise again. This was their gift from Hera, for they had died on the apex of their life, when they were young and strong and admired and honored by everyone. The Argives made statues for them and dedicated them at Delphi, "as of two men who were the best of all" (Herodotus)

Picture: Cleobis and Biton statues in Delphi, Greece. 600 BC

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Wed, 31 May 2006 14:58:32 -0700

Donnie Darko was on telly today. Watched it for the umpth time, but it still kicks ass.

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Tue, 30 May 2006 13:38:24 -0700

Yeah, so London was a trip. I've recovered now.

Work-part went alright. Felt slightly intimidated since they were 8 men strong and it was only the two of us. But we got to an agreement and will write a project proposal together. I thought they were rather dismissive at first, but according to my colleague (who is Brit-people himself) apparently it was as enthusiastic as it gets in the UK.

Stayed in a noisy and crappy hotel with undefinable stains on the walls and carpet and a variety of flourishing fungal species in the way-too-small bathroom. At least my neighbours were enjoying themselves; they were getting it on until the wee hours, as I was able to witness much to my chagrin. The manager had the nerve to give me his business card so I "could book a room here directly" next time I'm in London. As if.

The boys from Metalheadz kicked ass! Big time!! I am deaf at both ears now (since the music is not constrained to 100 dB as is the case here in the Netherlands), but I shook my booty all night long. Things got so hot that it was raining from the airconditioning.

We ended up in some classy jazz-hut on Thursday. As we were enjoying some excruciatingly expensive caipirinhas, we noticed some guy sitting *really* close to us at the otherwise empty bar. We started talking and he introduced himself as Charlie Burchill, guitarist of the Simple Minds (remember them?). Shared a meal and some drinks with him and he shared wild rock&roll stories with us. Man, what a piece of work that guy is.

Of course, there's also the unavoidable pics I took (indulge me, will you?):

The British Museum was lovely, spent almost a whole day there. Exhibition on Michelangelo's drawings was set up excellent and contained some extraordinary specimens. Not sure he would have appreciated though, to have the studies of his magnificent masterpieces exposed like that. But I loved it because it gave me an impression of what kind of guy he must have been.

Another exhibition that really got to me was Artists of the Modern Middle East, specifically Word into Art, where poetry, art and arabic calligraphy were perfectly intertwined. It expressed a kind of...emancipation, the start of something new, a promise or a longing, that really spoke to me.
The drawing on the left was made by Hassan Massoudy (Iraq/France) and it depicts the first phrase (written in Kufi script) of a poem written by
Ibn 'Arabi:

I follow the religion of Love:
whatever way love's camels take,
that's my religion and my faith

The word "love" (al-hubb) is graciously magnified in the blue graphic.

Flyer handed to me at Camden Market:

I'm REALLY sorry I have to miss it. Would have loved to see and hear old Henry firing away again.

There were many others things I wanted to do and see, but too little time and too little money kept me from them.
Anyway, sorry about the long post, but thank god for the "Stumble"-button, I say.

:)

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Mon, 29 May 2006 09:53:51 -0700

I'm back!
So much to write about, not all of it interesting. Strange things happen when you're not occupying the left hemisphere of your brain all the time... Will share with you as soon as I get this lefty-righty thing upstairs sorted out...

Peace,
MSG