The theme of this call for a waterfront installation was Mirage.
Today, much of our lives are captured on camera. Since the ubiquitous adoption of the smartphone, our best, or at least, most remembered moments are often seen first through a lens. However, the ancestor of this technology, the camera obscura, dates to the 5th century BCE, when it was first observed that light through a pinhole will produce a perfect, upside-down, illusion of reality. Though a tiny pinhole chamber now exists within every phone, Obscura reveals the phenomenon that makes this possible, through an experiential camera obscura on the shores of Lake Ontario.
As seen from a distance, Obscura’s reflective textile enclosure beams light towards viewers, barely registering as visible against the snow. As one enters the spiraling reciprocal wood frame structure within, the balance to light is inverted, and viewers encounter an image of their surroundings as a projection against the lifeguard station. Ironically, within Obscura’s darkness, cameras are rendered useless, and vision is returned to eyes alone.
