Oculus Obscura Inside the Camera: The Camera Obscura Project

Oculus Obscura - Inside the Camera: The Camera Obscura Project

Oculus is Latin for eye — an opening where light enters and the unseen becomes
visible. In Oculus Obscura, the camera is no longer an object to look at but a
space to enter, darkness becomes a vessel, light becomes a trace, and the
familiar world slowly gathers into image. From this elemental threshold, the
exhibition asks what photography can reveal when artists return to its first
conditions of light, time, space and wonder.

The artists in Oculus Obscura approach camera obscura and pinhole
photography through distinct materials, processes and forms, demonstrating the
continuing vitality of an image making practice built on one of photography's
simplest principles.

The exhibition includes masked pinholes on paperboard, handmade camera
obscuras, a panoramic camera obscura, wood-crafted pinhole cameras, ceramic
pinholes formed from silt and clay harvested from Hudson Valley estuaries, and
contemporary digital cameras adapted for pinhole photography. Together with
the full-scale Walk-in Camera Obscura created for the exhibition, these works
transform the gallery into an experiential environment that visitors can enter,
explore, and experience as both a photographic instrument and a space for
inspiration.

Three pinhole cameras, provided by Heather Palecek, will continue making long
exposure photographs throughout the exhibition, allowing Oculus Obscura to
unfold as a living photographic process. The photographs will accumulate light
over time, recording the changing conditions of the exhibition and its
surroundings. Images will continue to emerge as the exhibition progresses,
making duration itself part of the photographic experience. Enter the darkness of
the Walk-In Camera, adjust the aperture setting, maneuver the exposure focus
sled and explore the art and science of photography in an immersive
environment.
Exhibition Dates and Hours:  Oculus Obscura Inside the Camera: The Camera Obscura Project will run from September 12, 2026 - November 1, 2026.  The art space is open Thursday- Saturday from 12:00 - 7:00 and Sunday from 12:00 - 5:00.  Tours of the Camera Obscura are available during Pictorial Foundation art space hours.  Pinhole Camera all day, hands on interactive workshops using the walk-in Camera Obscura Project will be held on September 19th and 20th from 10:00 - 4:00 workshop students can enroll online by visiting the Pictorial Foundation website.