calendario eventi  :: 

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19/9/2014

Two exhibitions

George Eastman House, Rochester NY

Robert Burley: The Disappearance of Darkness

George Eastman House will open the exhibition Robert Burley: The Disappearance of Darkness on September 20. The exhibition examines both the dramatic and historical demise of film-manufacturing facilities and industrial darkrooms on an international scale, including corporations such as Kodak, Agfa-Gevaert, and Ilford. It documents the impact of the emergence of digital imaging technologies, which irrevocably changed photography and led to the abrupt and rapid breakdown of a century-old industry that embodied the medium’s material culture. The exhibition will be on view in the museum’s special exhibition galleries through January 4, 2015.

Robert Burley, associate professor at the School of Image Arts at Ryerson University, is a Canadian artist, whose photographs of the visual landscape have been celebrated internationally for the past thirty years. His series The Disappearance of Darkness began as a study of the distinctive industrial architecture of Kodak Canada, prompted by the planned decommissioning of the site. A consistent theme of Burley's work has been the contemporary built and cultivated landscape, so the unique character of buildings constructed to manufacture light-sensitive materials in near-total darkness was something that attracted him, and he wanted to document it before it was gone. As he was working on the project, the transition from analog to digital imaging technologies accelerated, spurring him to continue his documentation on an international scale. He was granted permission to shoot at Agfa-Gevaert in Belgium, Ilford in the UK, Polaroid in Waltham, MA, and Kodak in Rochester to complete his project.

“The history of photographs has always been inextricably linked to the history of photographic technology and materials,” said Lisa Hostetler, curator-in-charge, Department of Photography, George Eastman House. “When the daguerreotype gave way to albumen silver printing from wet-collodion negatives around 1860, the eminent partnership of Southworth & Hawes had difficulty negotiating the transition and was unable to sustain its status in the field, eventually closing its doors. Burley is capturing a similar transition from analog to digital in the 21st century, and because the practice of photography has become an enormous consumer market, the impact now is more wide-spread.”

In addition, George Eastman House is asking visitors to join the conversation about the changing nature of photographic practice. Photo in Flux: Join the Conversation is a physical space for visitors to discuss the fall exhibitions, which both engage issues related to photographic technology, as well as to share their views on photography’s current time of transition. Curatorial staff at the museum is collecting and sharing responses and results in an online blog to open the conversation beyond the museum’s walls. For more information on how you can join the conversation, visit http://photoinflux.tumblr.com/intro. The blog will go live and the conversation will begin on September 20.

“George Eastman House is excited to host this dialogue about the state of photography, and we hope to spark speculation amongst our visitors about where it may be headed next,” added Hostetler. “Robert Burley: The Disappearance of Darkness is a sensitive and timely observation of and meditation on this watershed moment in the history of photography when the photographic industry is transforming itself before our eyes.”

Robert Burley: The Disappearance of Darkness was curated by Dr. Gaëlle Morel, Exhibitions Curator, Ryerson Image Centre, and it was produced and organized by the Ryerson Image Centre, with generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts. Exhibitions are included with museum admission. For more information, visit eastmanhouse.org or call (585) 271-3361.

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Innovation in the Imaging Capital

For decades, Rochester was known as the imaging capital of the world. Innovation and invention by Rochester companies paved the way for the world we now live in, from medical testing to space exploration, digital capture and transmission, and more. On September 20, George Eastman House will open Innovation in the Imaging Capital, which highlights Rochester’s major contributions to the imaging story, showing technology made possible by inventions that were originated or developed locally.

The exhibition features objects from the George Eastman House collection, along with those borrowed from several local lenders, including Bausch and Lomb, Xerox, and Eastman Kodak Company. Each section of the exhibition focuses on a different area of photographic technology developed in Rochester. The consumer product section includes early digital inventions such as the first digital camera patented by the Eastman Kodak Company in 1977. Some of the medical devices and inventions on display include early and modern digital X-rays and a capsule camera provided by Given Imaging. Early aerial cameras used during World War I and II and the Lunar Orbiter I are featured in the section about aerial imaging.

“Rochester has been the center for innovation in imaging since 1888, when George Eastman brought photography to the everyday consumer, and that innovative spirit remains today,” said Bruce Barnes, Ron and Donna Fielding Director, George Eastman House. “The result of a collaborative effort among our talented staff at George Eastman House, this exhibition is a wonderful celebration of the accomplishments of the Rochesterians that transformed the world of imaging and applied inventions from this field into others.”

Innovation in the Imaging Capital is sponsored in part by Sydor Optics and the Xerox Foundation, with additional support from KBPaxton, Inc. and Nocon & Associates Ameriprise Private Wealth Advisory Practice. The exhibition was curated by Todd Gustavson, technology curator, and Kathy Connor, George Eastman legacy curator, at George Eastman House.

In addition to a panel discussion, the museum’s Focus 45 lunchtime talks during the run of the exhibition will feature local experts discussing various technology and inventions. The public is invited to the following exhibition-related programs:

Focus 45: Imaging Science: Connections to Rochester and Beyond

Saturday, September 20, 12:15 p.m., Curtis Theatre

Changes to the photographic industry introduced by digital technology are reflected in the evolution of imaging science in Rochester. Dr. John Schott of RIT’s Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science will trace this evolution and the connections between Rochester and the imaging community at large. Free to members; incl. w/ museum admission, or $6 ($3 students), talk only. Bring your lunch or purchase in the Eastman House Café—call (585) 271-3361 ext. 223 to pre-order.

Focus 45: What’s Old is New Again: Applying Film Technology to Touch Screen Sensors

Saturday, November 15, 12:15 p.m., Curtis Theatre

Bill Pollock, president and CEO of Optimation Technology and Kingsbury Corporation, will discuss the technology behind touch screen sensor manufacturing, the role that Rochester companies play in this multibillion dollar market, and ways that this traditional process can be applied to other industries. Free to members; incl. w/ museum admission, or $6 ($3 students), talk only. Bring your lunch or purchase in the Eastman House Café—call (585) 271-3361 ext. 223 to pre-order.

Panel Discussion

Saturday, November 22, 1 p.m., Dryden Theatre

The change from analog to digital photographic technology has affected our relationship to imagery. To explore this topic, we welcome Robert Burley, photographer; James Estrin, New York Times Lens Blog co-editor and senior staff photographer; and Steven J. Sasson, electrical engineer and the inventor of the digital camera, in a panel discussion moderated by Lisa Hostetler, curator-in-charge, Department of Photography. Free to members; incl. w/ museum admission.

Focus 45: There Must Be Something in the Water

Saturday, December 13, 12:15 p.m., Curtis Theater

Chris Holmquist, Eastman House object preparator and chemical photography enthusiast, will speak on the history of photographic innovation in Western New York and Rochester’s present role as a mecca for pre-digital photography techniques, as a new generation preserves and celebrates this rich history. Free to members; incl. w/ museum admission, or $6 ($3 students), talk only. Bring your lunch or purchase in the Eastman House Café—call (585) 271-3361 ext. 223 to pre-order.

Image: Robert Burley (Canadian, b. 1957). Hallway in Coating Alley, Agfa-Gevaert, Mortsel, Belgium, 2007. Inkjet print. © Robert Burley. Courtesy of the Ryerson Image Centre

Press Contact
Kellie Fraver
Public Relations Manager, George Eastman House
(585) 271–3361 ext. 213

George Eastman House
900 East Avenue - Rochester, NY 14607
Hours: Tue - Sat : 10am - 5pm . Sun : 11am - 5pm.
Admission : Adults $14, Seniors (62+) $12, Students (with ID) $5, Children 12 and Under Free · Members Free

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