STATEMENT

With Stereoscapes we propose to enliven the streetscape by embedding stereoscopic viewers in the blank surfaces that line city sidewalks: construction hoardings, metal fences, and roll-down security grates. Peepholes in these underutilized surfaces allow passersby to click through custom-created, site-specific stereo reels. By placing stereoscopic representations of place into otherwise neglected street frontage, Stereoscapes provides a visually engaging way of marking places that matter throughout the city.

City streets are full of blank surfaces: plywood construction hoardings, boarded-up windows, and permanently closed storefront roll-downs. Wind-holes cut into construction fences attract viewers curious to see what's going on inside; posters and flyers are plastered on fences and walls. Stereoscapes fuses these vernacular viewing patterns with the tradition of stereo imaging. By placing stereoscopic viewers behind peepholes cut into the blank surfaces that line our sidewalks, the project exploits curiosity and voyeuristic desire to draw the passerby into an interactive encounter with local history.

The Concourse Plaza Hotel reel was produced in collaboration with Tobias Frank (designer and photographer). The project benefited from the assistance of Jim Crocker and the staff of the Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Housing Council; Laura Tosi of the Bronx County Historical Society; and Ron Labbe of Studio 3-D.

HOW IT WORKS

Stereoscopy, or 3-D photography, uses parallax to create the illusion of depth. The same scene is photographed from vantage points separated by the distance between the left and right eyes. By showing each eye only the corresponding photograph, stereoscopes simulate the experience of actual depth perception. Stereo drawings were first created as early as the 16th century, but the genre only became widespread with the advent of photography. Stereoscopes, along with corresponding paper cards containing stereo image pairs, became popular entertainments and souvenirs. The View-Master stereoscope, patented in 1939 and still widely used today, introduced greater portability and established the format of the circular seven-image reel. These reels, which typically feature urban landmarks or cartoon narratives, are mass-produced for commercial sale to a wide audience.

Stereoscapes extends this medium to sites that are locally important but little known. By creating new custom reels based on a combination of archival photographs, new photography, and photomontage, the project brings visual complexity and stereo depth to the communication of local history.

Stereoscapes can be installed behind any wood or metal surface, from construction fencing to shuttered storefronts. Stereoscopes are mounted on the inside of the plywood or sheet metal, aligned with eyeholes and a slot for manually advancing the reel. Signage on the exterior alerts pedestrians to the presence of Place Matters material. Fluorescent lights illuminate reel images and make the cutout signage visible day and night. For outdoor installations, a plywood or plastic enclosure protects the stereoscopes from weather damage and vandalism. The concept can be adapted for other kinds of installation, including freestanding pylons and binocular viewers retrofitted for stereo imaging. It can be supplemented with additional installations, such as speakers for a sound presentation.

DEMONSTRATION REEL

For the "Marking Places that Matter" exhibition, we have produced a demonstration reel focusing on the Concourse Plaza Hotel, an eleven-story building on the Grand Concourse at 161st Street. A center of Bronx political and social life since its construction in 1922, this local landmark now houses seniors under the auspices of the Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Housing Council. We propose to install the demonstration reel in a custom-built plywood hoarding on the hotel's Grand Concourse frontage. An arcade that separates the sidewalk from the hotel terrace (formerly the Grand Ballroom) provides the perfect opportunity to make stereo material available to passersby and hotel residents alike.