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Tag Archives: James Perry Wilson

Instrument Eight, Perry Kulper's Drawing

Instrument Eight, Perry Kulper’s Drawing

Instrument Eight, Nat Chard's Drawing

Instrument Eight, Nat Chard’s Drawing

Back of Perry's Instrument

Back of Perry’s Instrument

Outside of Leth and Gori Gallery

Outside of Leth and Gori Gallery

Bog cameras with Bog Diorama photographs

Bog cameras with Bog Diorama photographs

Teis Draiby scanning photographs with camera

Teis Draiby scanning photographs with camera

Teis Draiby scanning photographs - detail

Teis Draiby scanning photographs – detail

Teis Draiby scanning photographs detail

Teis Draiby scanning photographs detail

Bog cameras, photographs and Instrument Eight photographs, Nat Chard

Bog cameras, photographs and Instrument Eight photographs, Nat Chard

A few snaps of a current exhibition in Copenhagen during set-up. The gallery is the front room of an architecture practice – Leth and Gori in Vesterbro – Absalonsgade 21B, 1658 Copenhagen V. It is on until April the 10th. It is the first of a series of exhibitions set up by Entreentre who will also publish a series of booklets on the work. Entreentre’s website will go online on April the 10th.

These were taken just as we installed the instruments – I will post some others of the thing completed when I get them.

White Rhino Diorama at the American Museum of Natural History

White Rhino Diorama at the American Museum of Natural History

I have posted a photograph of the White Rhinoceros group at the American Museum of Natural History before (in stereo, if I remember correctly). The 1937 diorama has a fine background painting by James Perry Wilson. It is located in a corner of the mezzanine level of the  Akeley Hall of African of Mammals in a corner with a low ceiling (which wilson tries to disguise with heavy rain clouds). To fit the  two large White Rhinos in the tight space without them standing too close to the observer, one is located very close to the painted background. To help mitigate against a shadow on the background (which would collapse the illusion of depth) apparently the hidden side of the Rhino is painted white. This possibility of negating one’s shadow has been teasing me recently and will be part of the new instrument I am working on.

Skunk Diorama at the American Museum of Natural History, New York

Skunk Diorama at the American Museum of Natural History, New York

A small diorama nestled between the main views of North American Mammals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Background painting by James Perry Wilson.

 

Buffalo Diorama

Buffalo Diorama

Buffalo Diorama

Buffalo Diorama

Buffalo Diorama

Buffalo Diorama

The Buffalo group at the American Museum of Natural History is not my favourite J.P. Wilson Diorama but there is a treat if you look inside the return on the far right hand side (top image) where a buffalo painted on the background crosses between the far right hand edge of the background and the painted section of the return to the viewing window. The  part of the animal on the background is painted normally but on the return it is painted anamorphically. Pictures from inside the diorama reveal a pot bellied buffalo, at least on its left hand side, to compensate for the viewing angle. The furthest away part of the buffalo is painted on the surface closest to the observer.

By the way, note that the horizon is not adjusted anamorphically on the return – perhaps because the viewing window is so wide that it is hard to know where to imagine the observer’s eye?.

 

I have made a few posts on James Perry Wilson’s work. If you are interested in finding out more about  him, the place to go is here: (or click on the word here)

http://peabody.yale.edu/james-perry-wilson

Michael Anderson has been writing Wilson’s biography for some time and has just released chapter eight, which covers Wilson’s work in the North American Mammal Hall at the American Museum of Natural History. Well worth a read.

When I was doing my research into Wilson’s projection methods Michael Anderson was amazingly helpful, both with his knowledge and expertise but also in arranging access to material and sites. He is the Wilson expert.