The Camera Obscura Room, an annex to the Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery on the campus of S.T.C.C., has reopened!
This room was first conceived and built in a former gallery/office space by Associate Professor Sondra Peron and gallery coordinator with the help of many of her photography students in 2013. Not open to the public in the last nineteen months, there was significant damage in the form of dried layers of old gaffers tape and industrial strength velcro that no longer held the more than ten foot high black plastic sheets against the windows.
I’m thrilled to report that repairs were completed and you’re once again invited to view this optical phenomena right here at our campus.
First mentioned by Chinese philosophers in the 5th century BCE, later discussed by Aristotle (384-322 BCE), and in 1490 CE, Da Vinci gave an account of a camera obscura at work in his notebooks, this room is a must-see!
What is a Camera Obscura? In Latin, the term, “camera obscura” means literally “dark room.” The laws of optics dictate that light travels in straight lines and when rays of light reflect off objects outside a darkened room, some of those rays traveling through a small hole or aperture in a window, reform on the opposite wall; upside down!
In this camera obscura, you can see Pearl Street, in full color and motion. This should sound familiar since the same is true, in a basic way, to how your eyes work to see or how a camera works. Five minutes is recommended to allow your eyes some time to adjust and you can enjoy the full effect of this educational and entertaining experience.
Please email speron@stcc.edu to make arrangements for a private visit. Due to ongoing Covid concerns, there is a 4-person, 10-minute limit per visit.
