NEW YORK CAMERA OBSCURA: Charles Schwartz & Bill Westheimer
Together Charles Schwartz and Bill Westheimer explored the city of New York on the upper east side of Manhattan using a Camera Obscura. These pictures reveal the city through the unique viewpoint of the camera obscura and record the images digitally. The Camera Obscura’s location is fixed, yet it provides an ever changing view of the city’s activities, architecture and landscape. The images use the pre-photographic camera obscura technology combined with post-photographic digital capture to create a timeless view of New York. The digital camera instantly captures the ephemeral projections in a clear crisp reality that transports the viewer into other worlds.
The work has four main themes:
Survey: The landscape and architecture of New York as seen from the Camera Obscura
Surveillance: The Camera Obscura captures the activities and lives of unsuspecting New Yorkers in the course of their daily lives revealing insights into the humanity of the city.
Surface: The two dimensional Camera Obscura images are projected onto objects and bodies contrasting the exterior scenes with unlikely yet related three dimensional shapes
Sun: Observations using the Camera Obscura of the sun and its effects on objects.
The digital captures are printed as archival inkjet prints on acid-free fine art paper in sizes up to 40”x60”.
Charles Schwartz was involved with photography and the photographic community for over thirty years, as a photographer, a collector, and as a dealer. He died in 2019.
George T. Keene was the amazing man who built the Camera Obscura and his website is fascinating.
For exhibition, acquisition, or publishing information please contact the artist.
2003-2005
Camera Obscura Books and sculptures
Behind the Scenes with the Camera Obscura