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Simon Lee's Bus Obscura
Artist Simon Lee Rolls Into Hamilton
With His Bus Obscura; No Ticket Needed
When is a bus ride more than just a bus ride?
When the bus actually is a rudimentary camera.
And, when is a bus a camera?
When it is in the hands of artist Simon Lee.
The British-born, New York-based artist, in creating Bus
Obscura, melds ancient and modern technologies to
create an ever-changing artistic experience. In
Hamilton, Lee will turn an ordinary school bus into a
large, moving camera obscura. The bus will move along
Hamilton’s streets and across the Colgate campus, and
riders will be treated to a one-of-a kind cinematic
experience as images from outside enter the bus.
Lee will create his Bus Obscura in Hamilton for several
weeks in September. The “bus as pinhole camera” will
be run the regular route from Colgate's new
townhouses on Rte 12B to upper campus and back. On
the weekends, Bus Obscura will make runs from the
Farmers’ Market on the village green. Lee also hopes
to be able to take Bus Obscura to local schools during
the week while it is in town.
No, this is not the earthbound version of an in-flight
movie. It is quite different as Lee creates the trip; he
calls it an example of “real time animation" and
considers each trip to be like watching a short film.
But first, understand that the camera obscura is very
simple:
1. Take one completely dark space.
2. Poke a small hole in the material covering one
of the sides.
3. Light will stream in and project the outside
image on the opposite side in perfect detail, but upside
down.
This can be done with a cardboard box, or with an
entire room (or one’s entire studio as the artist Lee
did). The result is the same.
Lee builds this moving camera obscura with a bus …
one making its normal trips through the village. So, as
the bus moves, Lee said passengers will see constantly
changing images projected inside and upside down.
“A bus is sort of like a cinema,” said Lee, noting that
passengers/moviegoers sit in seats and have a shared
experience. “But it is different too.” It stops and goes; it’
s not moving at a constant speed, and it shares the
road with other vehicles.
“It takes an ordinary, familiar place and makes it
completely different,” said Lee of a ride on Bus
Obscura. “It’s like seeing it from a different point of
view. It also engages the rider in a different way.”
In past exhibits of Bus Obscura (Pittsburgh, London,
Miami, Brooklyn), Lee said the bus was confined to a
specific route. This will be the first time the vehicle as
camera has been used on its normal route delivering
passengers and not simply delighting people who are
there just for the art.
Reaction to previous Bus Obscura installations has
been good, said Lee. Only once has a rider/viewer
asked to get off the bus before the trip ended. Many
are those who stay on for more than one trip, he added.
“Every ride is different,” said Lee. “The light is different
each time. The scenery changes. You never see the
same thing twice.”
But, Bus Obscura is more than just flickering images on
public transit. Lee said a special soundtrack has been
created for the Colgate/Hamilton visit. Riders locally will
also hear a special work by sound artist Colleen Burke
during the rides.
Posted 2006.8.24
With His Bus Obscura; No Ticket Needed
When is a bus ride more than just a bus ride?
When the bus actually is a rudimentary camera.
And, when is a bus a camera?
When it is in the hands of artist Simon Lee.
The British-born, New York-based artist, in creating Bus
Obscura, melds ancient and modern technologies to
create an ever-changing artistic experience. In
Hamilton, Lee will turn an ordinary school bus into a
large, moving camera obscura. The bus will move along
Hamilton’s streets and across the Colgate campus, and
riders will be treated to a one-of-a kind cinematic
experience as images from outside enter the bus.
Lee will create his Bus Obscura in Hamilton for several
weeks in September. The “bus as pinhole camera” will
be run the regular route from Colgate's new
townhouses on Rte 12B to upper campus and back. On
the weekends, Bus Obscura will make runs from the
Farmers’ Market on the village green. Lee also hopes
to be able to take Bus Obscura to local schools during
the week while it is in town.
No, this is not the earthbound version of an in-flight
movie. It is quite different as Lee creates the trip; he
calls it an example of “real time animation" and
considers each trip to be like watching a short film.
But first, understand that the camera obscura is very
simple:
1. Take one completely dark space.
2. Poke a small hole in the material covering one
of the sides.
3. Light will stream in and project the outside
image on the opposite side in perfect detail, but upside
down.
This can be done with a cardboard box, or with an
entire room (or one’s entire studio as the artist Lee
did). The result is the same.
Lee builds this moving camera obscura with a bus …
one making its normal trips through the village. So, as
the bus moves, Lee said passengers will see constantly
changing images projected inside and upside down.
“A bus is sort of like a cinema,” said Lee, noting that
passengers/moviegoers sit in seats and have a shared
experience. “But it is different too.” It stops and goes; it’
s not moving at a constant speed, and it shares the
road with other vehicles.
“It takes an ordinary, familiar place and makes it
completely different,” said Lee of a ride on Bus
Obscura. “It’s like seeing it from a different point of
view. It also engages the rider in a different way.”
In past exhibits of Bus Obscura (Pittsburgh, London,
Miami, Brooklyn), Lee said the bus was confined to a
specific route. This will be the first time the vehicle as
camera has been used on its normal route delivering
passengers and not simply delighting people who are
there just for the art.
Reaction to previous Bus Obscura installations has
been good, said Lee. Only once has a rider/viewer
asked to get off the bus before the trip ended. Many
are those who stay on for more than one trip, he added.
“Every ride is different,” said Lee. “The light is different
each time. The scenery changes. You never see the
same thing twice.”
But, Bus Obscura is more than just flickering images on
public transit. Lee said a special soundtrack has been
created for the Colgate/Hamilton visit. Riders locally will
also hear a special work by sound artist Colleen Burke
during the rides.
Posted 2006.8.24
Inside Bus
Obscura
Obscura
Photos courtesy of simonlee.org
