Diapolyekran
The Diapolyekran , also known as Polyekran , was a media installation developed by the Czechoslovak set designer Josef Svoboda .
Variants have been presented in the Czechoslovak pavilions of various world exhibitions since 1958 . The presentation The Birth of the World , which Svoboda conceived together with the director Emil Radok on the occasion of Expo 67 in Montreal, attracted particular attention .
technology
The system consisted of 12 × 8 square elements onto which slides and film sequences were projected. It was possible to move groups of projection blocks in the direction of the viewer, so that with suitable image content, quasi-3D effects could also be achieved. The installation was carried out with technical assistance from Kodak ; there came u. a. remotely controllable carousel projectors are used. Effects such as dissolves were already possible here.
The later development culminated in control software, which greatly simplified the assembly of the media, and audio tracks synchronized via MIDI .
However, the technical effort remained considerable: both the production of suitable raw materials and the practical implementation; The operation of such a system required constant monitoring due to the mechanical part. Today, a large part of the use cases is covered by large digital screens.
Visual appearance
In terms of content, the creation of abstract patterns through recurring picture elements, possibly in different sizes, which were moved across the visible surface and their comparison with specific film sequences A previously seldom seen visual density was possible, on the other hand in the hardware- related limited frame rate of 1–2 Hz. The format was also referred to as kinetic collage by art critics .
inspiration
The concept of the Diapolyekran proved to be groundbreaking for a number of similar projects, such as those of Hans Walter Müller (1977) and Albert Plecy in the Cathédrale d'images in Les Baux-de-Provence . As a result, the technology found its way into museums, trade fairs and exhibitions; here, however, the focus was mostly more on information than on artistic animation.
See also
literature
- Film in the Czechoslovak pavilion. In: Der Baumeister , issue 7/1967
- Josef Svododa: The Secret of Theatrical Space. The memoirs of Josef Svoboda. Applause Theater Books, New York 1993, ISBN 1-55783-137-8 .
- Helena Albertová: Josef Svoboda scénograf. Institut umění - Divadelní ústav, Praha 2012, ISBN 978-80-7008-290-4 , with DVD.
- María Nieto Sánchez: Quarries of Light: The Legacy of Josef Svoboda. 2014 ( digitized version )