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Tiresias
Named collection: Holography Collection
Object type: hologram
Maker: Benyon, Margaret
Date made: 1981
Materials: white light transmission; glass
Measurements: 12 in x 16 in
Nomenclature: fine art
Classification: holograms
The hologram is a pair with Counting the Beat, originally intended as a two-plate display. The images of a man and a woman are superimposed to form a single androgynous being. The patterning on the figure is produced by two exposures separated by an interval of a few microseconds, the light and dark fringes representing multiple movements of less than a wavelength of laser light. Double-pulsed holography gives a direct visual readout of outer and inner body movements. The dark and light fringing is like a ritualistic tattoo that bears a direct relation to our breathing and to the coursing of blood in our veins. The participants in this hologram are the same as in Counting the Beats. .
The title takes its name from Tiresias, who in Greek mythology was transformed into a woman for seven years. Master hologram made at CEGB in collaboration with John Webster; transfer made in MoH Gabor lab during an AIR. Photo: M. Benyon © Please note that due to the unique challenges of holography as a medium, high-resolution digital images are not available for most items in the holography collection. Please contact us for more information on reproducing images of holograms.
MOH-1981.02