Photo historians Brian May and Denis Pellerin will give a 3D talk on the birth and rise of the stereoscopic craze between 1832 and 1862, and on the prominent place held by King’s College London lecturer, Charles Wheatstone, in the history of 3D, then known as Stereoscopy. Professor Wheatstone was the first to demonstrate, using drawings and an optical instrument that he designed and named the ‘stereoscope’, how binocular vision works. Work began to demonstrate why most of us can see the world around us in three dimensions, and how, with only two flat pictures, our brain can recreate the illusion of depth.
King’s College London Archives house an important collection of Wheatstone’s personal papers and material, including over 90 large stereoscopic pairs that were made by various photographers from 1851 onwards, to be viewed in Wheatstone’s reflecting instrument. In the talk, some of these will be shown in 3D for the very first time, thanks to the use of two projectors and interferometric passive glasses.
Given on the 141st anniversary of Wheatstone’s death, this talk is the result of a collaboration between Brian May’s London Stereoscopic Company and King’s Archives. In part, it acknowledges and celebrates the role that King’s Archives has played in preserving our unique scientific heritage. The talk will also put the name and work of Charles Wheatstone back in the limelight, recognising him as the pioneer of today’s age of 3D movies and Virtual Reality.
Wednesday, 19 October 2016, 1930 – 2100
at the Edmond J Safra Lecture Theatre, King's Building, Strand Campus, King's College London, London, WC2R 2LS
Admiisson is free but must be pre-booked click here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/charles-wheatstone-the-craze-for-the-stereoscope-tickets-27431266657
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