Presented by Erkki Huhtamo, Media Archaeologist

Lost (and Found) in the Third Dimension:
Stereoscopy and the Artistic Imagination

Stereoscopic 3D has been a constant presence in Western societies for more than 150 years, and many of its features were anticipated even earlier. Stereoscopy is often treated as a cult phenomenon, a gimmick that appears and disappears over and over again. But it is much more than that. Beside popular-cultural applications, it has played roles in science, medicine, warfare – and art. There are numerous artists who have been drawn to it, often commenting on the past uses of stereoscopy by their works. By developing an archaeology of stereoscopic 3D, this lecture reveals some of its earlier (often forgotten) manifestations, and demonstrates how these have been applied and developed further by a wide range of artists.