Deconstructing Flight: An Homage to Étienne Jules Marey

Marey 3_motion projections on walls projectors left and right

MGNH_gallery one_long view of room tables in center

MGNH_gallery one_empty cabinet drawers on floor mirror photograph

Collinson_three silver oval frames black plants inside text strips

Collinson_black plants pinned text strips blue background

Collinson_black plant pinned text strips orange background

Growing_three iron tables chairs plants prints background

Deconstructing Flight: An Homage to Étienne Jules Marey

dimensions variable

2017

mixed media

Marey's stop-motion photographic studies used a camera with a revolving cartridge holding a strip of film, allowing him to take a rapid sequence of exposures as a moving object passed the camera. The resulting photograph caught motion in a series of overlapping stills. I wanted to create video images with the same sense of motion seen in Marey's photographs of birds in flight, using a person wearing a constructed set of wings as my model.

I worked with two collaborators, photographer Gregory Vershbow and art historian Shira Brisman, for this section of the exhibition. Gregory's video appeared to be projected through early 20th century slide projecters, called Balopticons.

history of natural history, history of technology