Holography: The Light Fantastic

Holography: The Light Fantastic features an awe-inspiring sampling of twenty-three historic holograms from the MIT Museum holography collection—the world's largest. Scientific and artistic applications of holography in diverse fields such as medicine, engineering, and retailing as well as architecture, portraiture and abstract art are represented.

A one-meter square hologram of an architectural model shows how an architect can realize a space in three dimensions before a project is built. A holographic image of the Lindow Man, the 2000-year-old remains of a man discovered in a bog in England, demonstrates the use of holography for anthropological, educational, and archival purposes. Also featured are works by MIT Professor Stephen Benton (1941-2003), inventor of the white light-viewable hologram.

The holographic imaging process uses laser light to store and reproduce three-dimensional images. Invented in the late 1940s, holography is best known for industrial and commercial applications ranging from credit card security to product packaging. Many artists have experimented with holography's creative properties since the late 1960s.

The Museum's collection chronicles the history of the science and technology of holography, capturing both the fine art that represents new and unusual expressions in media as well as holography's industrial and commercial applications. Today, individuals all over the world work in the medium and extend its imaging abilities beyond solely replicating three-dimensional objects. The exhibition features works by several world-renown artists, including Margaret Benyon, Rudie Berkhout, Melissa Crenshaw, Setsuko Ishii, Marie Andree Cossette, and John Kaufman.

- Massachusetts Institute of Technology