Research · 2015 – 2016 · Français
Photostereosynthesis
#0 Prototype — the dancing body in volume
A nearly forgotten photographic process invented by Louis Lumière around 1920, which I reproduced and reworked to photograph movement and to present it as large prints.
The original process
Photostereosynthesis (French: photostéréosynthèse) was developed by Louis Lumière in the early 1920s. A subject is photographed in a series of focal planes; each plane is printed on a transparent plate; the plates are then stacked at a distance from one another. The eye recombines them and the image appears in three dimensions, without glasses or a stereoscope.
Little known to the public, the process remained a laboratory curiosity, limited to small formats and still subjects.
What I reworked
I reproduced the process and brought my own modifications, with two aims: adapting it to the perception of movement, and making large-format prints possible.
Instead of a still object, I photographed a dancing body. The stacked plates form images in volume by stratification. I also reversed the usual relationship to dance: the audience moves around a static display to grasp the choreographic gesture.
#0 Prototype
This work is a collaboration between two dancers and a fashion designer, and part of an ongoing project exploring movement through dance and photostereosynthesis. The exhibition is conceived as a choreographed scenography in a dark room, with light and sound rising and falling.
In 2016 I was selected by the Holocenter (Columbus, Ohio) for its artist residency and workshop programme, around danced movement and haptic perception.
Frequently asked questions
What is photostereosynthesis (photostéréosynthèse)?
A relief photography process developed by Louis Lumière around 1920. The same subject is photographed in successive planes of focus, each plane is printed on a transparent plate, and the plates are stacked with gaps between them: the image appears in volume, with no glasses or viewer.
How is it different from stereoscopy?
Stereoscopy shows two slightly offset images, one per eye, through a viewer. Photostereosynthesis physically builds the volume from stacked plates: you look at the object directly and the image changes as you move.
Can photostereosynthesis still be practised today?
Yes. I reproduced the process with film photography and modified it to capture movement (the dancing body) and to make large prints. Feel free to get in touch.