Vorti-Scope

The magical phenomenon of light/image projections were first observed in the 5th century BCE when Chinese philosopher Mo-Ti witnessed an inverted image formed by light rays passing through a pinhole into a dark room. From that time, the dark room or “camera obscura” functioned as a portable box or tent drawing tool that eventually evolved into the photographic camera that we are familiar with today.

During the 19th century, due to the popularity of photographic processes, walk-in camera obscura buildings sprang-up and flourished at seaside resorts and areas of scenic beauty. Combining entertainment and education, these buildings were constructed using a mirror and lens technique, capable of projecting outside images onto an internal central table.

This interactive sculptural camera obscura located in downtown Fredericton, on the banks of the Saint John River, is informed by these 19th century models. Standing inside the space of the camera chamber the viewer becomes an “interiorized observer to an exterior world” focused upon the picturesque Saint John River. The ebb and flow of river and humanity are revealed in real-time views projected from a 360-degree rotating lens focused onto a central observation table.

The Vorti-Scope demonstrates in a playful, sensory and experiential way, a celebration of community and place, through the optical phenomenon that is at the root of contemporary photographic culture.