Stereoscopy: 3D imagery in the 19th century

The latest item to be added to the online catalogue is a copy of Charles Piazzi Smyth’s  Teneriffe: an astronomer’s experiment; or, specialities of a residence above the clouds, first published in 1858. As Astronomer Royal for Scotland from 1846-1888, the book describes Smyth’s expedition to Tenerife, where, accompanied by his wife, he spent a month undertaking numerous astronomical, meteorological and geological observations.  What is perhaps of particular interest however are the 20 photo-stereographs used to illustrate the volume. This was the first book ever to be illustrated with stereoscopic photographs, which, upon purchase of a book stereoscope, could be viewed in 3-D.

                As the author explains, ‘if we wish to enjoy the effects of solidity or of distance, effects which are the cynosures of all the great painters, we have only to combine the two photographs stereoscopically, and those bewitching qualities are produced’. 

   : 

The Portico Library - Music Through a Lens

Manchester based photographer Priti Shikotra approached the Portico regarding a photo-shoot for five-piece indie Manchester rock-band The Rubys.  She has shared the experience with us in writing and pictures: 

Manchester is famous for it’s music scene - The Stone Roses, Oasis, Joy Division, heck even Take That! We have had heaps of talent starting their journey right here. The talent of the past has been great - but the light needs shining on the talent of the present and future. Manchester has such a fantastic music scene - multiple live music venues and such amazing musical talent. For a music photographer, well, that’s bliss.

The Rubys - An up and coming band is one that I slowly approached over social networking site Twitter, after seeing them live at Manchester HMV Ritz back in December.

I loved their sound and turned around to a girl friend of mine and said ‘I’m gonna work with these guys’ - Fast forward a month or so and Dave Earlam aka The Bat Ruby (Drummer, The Rubys) and I were discussing locations for a photo shoot.

The guys didn't want a typical northern grimy location - I began researching into whats in and around Manchester. Having been away for the best part of a year travelling, I came back with a different perspective on Manchester and was keen to find hidden gems that would be perfect for this shoot to pitch to the guys. You appreciate whats around you a hell of a lot more when you haven't been around it for a while - everything is the same yet so different.

Some how - I came across The Portico Library. I arranged a meeting with the lovely Emma. When I went by to see the library - I was surprised to see where it was - for the sheer fact that I had walked past it heaps of times before and never noticed it!

Have you seen Disney’s Beauty and the Beast? You know the Library Belle has all to herself at the castle? Yep, The Portico Library reminds me very much of this! 

I was blown away by how quirky the library is - the smell, the feel, the look of the library - it tells a story even just by standing in there. Such a stunning library with so much personality. The interior has been well maintained and the stacks upon stacks of books - piled high to the ceilings - it’s such an atmospheric place.

Fast forward another few weeks and the shoot was about to take place - The Rubys were super excited about the venue - it definitely doesn't have the typical northern look and feel after all! We were at the library for a few hours, and then shifted outside and hit the streets to get some shots on location.  We got some great shots and The Rubys were happy with the results. So happy, that the shots have been used on the album artwork for their new album - ‘Limelight Paradise’ . You can have a listen and buy the album over at http://the-rubys.bandcamp.com/ - Head on over!

As a photographer - the place is perfect - so many different angles to shoot from, multiple rooms to work with, plenty of natural light, so quirky, and so many props to work with ( with permission of course! ) Not only that, but since it’s bang right in the middle of Manchester, there are surrounding areas which can be of good use in a shoot. So you can get various different feels to different shots.

This is what Dave from The Rubys had to say about the venue.

"The Portico Library is a literary 'Time Capsule of Cool' hidden away on the busiest of Manchesters' streets.

We found it like silence looking for sound; a clash of isolation centred in the chaos of Piccadilly.

The atmosphere bled into our photographs; split-second shards of frozen time caught in a timeless environment of books with leather-worn looks, furniture with overtures, taxidermy with history.

Unique is an over-used term, although we found the Portico to be just that,.....just not in the obvious sense. It has character that doesn't overpower, a richness which did not make us look poorer, a pride of vision that didn't put shame in ours.

Artists and Photographers know the power of a good location, and in the Portico, we felt that we were passing through the history of the Library. Melville stared at us from across the bookshelves whilst Rambeau waited patiently.

There are few locations in the world that will give you the same sense of time standing still, to the point where the hours on the clock had no Meaning; at the Portico, we found Meaning, Relevance, and Elegance bleeding from every fissure." 

PSHIKOTRA Photography : www.pshikotra.com

Blog : www.pshikotra.wordpress.com

Northern Exposure 2012

Following the success of last year's Northern Exposure exhibition, we are very pleased to once again be playing host to work by local and regional photographers. This year's exhibition has brought together the talents of Liam Sluyter, Mark Stuttard and Denise Swanson. Their varied and contrasting styles make for an exciting and diverse range of imagery, which will no doubt appeal to a wide range of tastes.

Liam Sluyter www.binarydad.co.uk

Liam Sluyter's work reflects the rapidly changing times and brings a fresh approach to photography. Seizing upon advances in technology and recognising the potential in smartphones, all of his photographs are taken and edited on an iPhone. His choice of imagery and manipulation of colour result in striking pictures infused with a surreal, dreamlike quality. Liam is the founder of the iPhone photography blog Bickr and can be found (and followed) on Twitter as @BinaryDad.

Mark Stuttard www.markstuttard.com

Mark Stuttard was born and raised in Manchester and finds his inspiration in the city he's proud to call home. Committed to capturing the beauty in the ordinary and often overlooked, Mark's photos are filled with a sense of energy and spontaneity that reflect a dynamic, vibrant city brimming with life, stories and secret places. With a passion for leading lines, angles and texture, Mark has a 'less is more' approach to processing, keen instead to let the composition do the talking.

Denise Swanson www.denise-swanson.com

Finally, drawing us away from the busy city streets, Denise Swanson invites us to take an in-depth look at nature. A harmony of texture and light, her series Peripheral Vision presents a beautiful and intimate view of the natural world that encourages the viewer to look at the subject matter with fresh eyes. She explains:

"I am interested in the structure, order and classification of the natural world and in why we have the need to classify and create order, investigate the issues involved in classification as complexity is removed and individuality or character is lost. With this in mind, I hope to reveal something of the character of a plant, rather than showing what it looks like, to give it respect and see it in a different light."

The exhibition runs until Thursday 29th March - so if you'd like to see some exciting work by Northern-based photographers, you can do so at the Portico Library, Monday to Friday 9:30am to 4:30pm/Thursday late night opening to 7:30pm. Admission to the exhibition is free.