Final Major Project - Initial Devices Research

After returning from Easter break the first devices I wanted to research all create the illusion of a moving image because of the following phenomenon:

'Persistence of vision' describes the idea that an afterimage persists for approximately one twenty-fifth of a second on the retina, and was long believed to be the explanation for motion perception. However, it was dismissed as a theory in the early 20th century in favour of the 'phi phenomenon'; the optical illusion of perceiving continuous motion between separate objects viewed rapidly in succession. The phi phenomenon is the apparent motion caused by a changing static image, as in a motion picture. This is caused by different images or lights occupying a single place in rapid succession. The phenomenon was defined by Max Wertheimer in the Gestalt psychology in 1912 and formed a part of the base of the theory of cinema.

The first device I researched which uses this principle is the Thaumatrope:

Thaumatrope of children playing with a magic lantern: from my collection. Author's own Photograph

A thaumatrope is usually a disk or card with a picture on each side is attached to two pieces of string. When the strings are twirled quickly between the fingers the two pictures appear to combine into a single image e.g. a bird appears to be inside a cage (as seen on the left). Thaumatropes were one of a number of simple, mechanical optical toys recognised as important predecessors of cinematography and in particular of animation.

Thaumatrope translates roughly to "wonder turner" in Ancient Greek

The invention of the thaumatrope can be traced to 1824 and is usually credited to either inventor John Ayrton Paris or Peter Mark Roget. However, in 2012 it was reported that a prehistoric thaumatrope had been discovered in caves in the Chauvet Caves in France, but this has not been confirmed.

My necklace is an engraved disc which when spun reveals the words 'I Love You'. I gathering visual research and duplicated and experimented with my own thaumatropes in my sketchbook. Doing this I soon realised the main problem with using this technique to produce images is that both sides have to be visible for the effect to be known, and so any I try to make using textiles or try to make work on the body would have to be functioning. Nevertheless, I tried to link the device into a fashion reference, by showing how designs in this style can work on the body. I did this with the collages below:

The next device I researched is the Zoetrope. This produces the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of progressive images in a reel. It consists of a cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides and on its inner surface the reel is slotted. When the cylinder is spun, by looking through the slits the user sees a rapid succession of images, producing the illusion of motion.

The name Zoetrope was composed from the Greek for "life" and "turning".

A device sometimes claimed as similar to the zoetrope was created in China around 100 BC by the inventor Ding Huan, but the standard zoetrope was invented in 1833 by British mathematician William George Horner. When I was in primary school I purchased a small plastic zoetrope while on a school trip to the science museum, which can be seen in the video below.

Video demonstrating how a zoetrope works

Original Image- Google Images

When researching this device for my project, to get an idea of the principles and themes behind it, I tried to recreate my own zoetrope reels. Using an image of a dancing couple, I tried to make one digitally. I picked a silhouetted image so that I wouldn't have to worry about detailing and then used Photoshop to edit the picture to create a sequence in which the dancers spun. This proved difficult and I was not happy with the final effect. I therefore tried to create a couple of others using different techniques, one which I traced a dancing skeleton sequence and once which I drew of a skipping girl. This last one is the one I am happiest with and despite the fact that it is easier to create continuity when working digitally, my Photoshop skills limit the range and detail with which I can create designs and so I shall probably do the rest of my design work through drawings because of the freedom this offers, even though it is more time-consuming.

Zoetrope reels in my sketchbook.

The Phenakistoscope is a device which works in exactly the same way and through the same principles as the zoetrope, with the difference of being a disk rather than a reel. This makes it a handheld device that can only be used by one person at a time.

The first part of the term 'phenakistoscope' comes meaning "to deceive, to cheat", as it deceives the eye by making the objects in the pictures appear to move.

Again I tried recreating my own versions of these devices in my sketchbook (see flower wilting above) in the hopes of determining the best techniques to use and discovering themes and principles which I could carry forward with in my project. Apart from that I also just enjoy designing my own versions of these fun inventions. With the phenakistoscope I particularly like the shape of the disc and think I might perhaps use this on the body when I reach the design process. It will be interesting to look at the devices, not just for what they can depict and create in terms of movement, but also for themselves on a structural level. Later I plan to bring my research together and experiment with how these devices can work on the body, and apart from anything else, the pre-cinema animation devices that I am researching and which form the starting point of my project certainly offer interesting shapes.

The next device I researched is the Flip Book. Still a popular toy today, it functions on the same fundamental principle to create the illusion of moving images. The first flip book appeared in September, 1868, when it was patented by John Barnes Linnett. It was the first form of animation to employ a linear sequence of images rather than circular. With this basic initial research into various pre-cinema animation devices I am already beginning to pick out themes that I am excited to explore later on in my project. These include studies of movement and shape studies. I feel that although my idea seems quite strange in the context of a fashion and textiles course, the unconventional inspiration it will offer should make for an exciting final piece (I hope).

Images from a flip book in my collection. 'Dancing Couple' by Muybridge

Flip Book Demo-Dancing Couple