Tamás Waliczky exhibited his series „Imaginary Cameras,” comprised of 23 fantasy cameras and optical instruments, operating on analogue principles but made with digital software, in the Hungarian Pavilion at the 58th International Exhibition of Art – La Biennale di Venezia. This artwork is also created as part of his series.
The Flipbook projector is the mechanical version of the flipbook, one of the oldest and most simple cinematographic techniques and visual games, where the turning of pages in quick succession lets the phase drawings on each page create a sense of movement. After inserting paper sheets with photographs or drawings into its turning cylinder, the projector run by a simple electric engine will project an animation up to 30 seconds. Although these meticulously designed objects seem real at first sight, in fact they are computer-generated graphics. If constructed, they could be functional objects. Waliczky’s precise, black-and-white digital graphics not only provide the audience with an aesthetic experience but also make them think of forgotten alternatives of technical development that may be revived by artistic thinking. His series is a tribute to the heroic age of photography and cinematography, and the roots of new media art. Géza Boros