Holography: Exploring a New Art Realm: Shaping Empty Space with Light

Abstract

In 1973, I traveled extensively through the Far East (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia). This trip was a turning point in my life. Instead of returning to my previous occupations in fashion design and stage lighting, I decided to look for new challenges and possibilities to express myself creatively. The social climate at that time in Holland, my home country, was not suitable for my new career search. New York City was a much more inspiring place. It was here in 1975, at the International Center of Photography, that I was first exposed to holography [1 ]. The combination of the scientific and the artistic realms intrigued me. The possibility of working with advanced technology outside a corporate structure and exploring it as an art medium appealed to me; I would be able to develop the technical processes involved and create images that reached into previously unknown visual areas. I began to learn about the medium by taking a basic course at the New York School of Holography (NYSH). There I made several laser-viewable transmission holograms, but it was impossible for me to view the holograms away from the lab since I did not own a laser. I decided to rent the NYSH lab and make a commitment to learn the different techniques and, in particular, the intricacies of optics and holography.