Spirits Under Glass

Spirits Under Glass ©2012, 10.75 x 8.25 x 1.25 inches. Davey board, Arches cover, acrylics, brass with heat patinas, beveled glass, 23 photos printed with archival inks, varnished. Bound with brass screw posts that have decorative brass heads soldered on. Book created to hold the photos taken with the handmade Zymo 127 pinhole camera in the Zymoglyphic Museum. The camera takes 127 format film, cut down from 120. On the left: The entrance to the Underworld. Right: A Creature made entirely of bones. In 2006, during a family "art camp," I started taking photos with matchbox pinhole cameras. This eventually led to making my own cameras, taking photos with them, and making books to contain the photos. Early on, while I was playing with the matchbox pinhole cameras, considering them a motivating "hobby" rather than an art project, I took some photos in one of Jim's Zymoglyphic Museum dioramas. These photos were so atmospheric I started trying to get Jim to make pinhole cameras and take photos. He did try some black and white film photos during one of our family "art camps." But he didn't enjoy the process. Later when I started making cameras and began to consider them as serious projects, I set up small scenes on my work table to photograph. Finally I decided to make my own Zymo cam and take the photos I thought needed to be taken in Jim's museum. That is this project, which may actually be almost completed.