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A Short History Of The Hologram, As Told By 4 Pre-Tupac Holograms
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 17, 2012
Modified Apr 17, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 17, 2012
Modified Apr 17, 2012
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It's been announced that Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog are taking the Tupac hologram that debuted at Coachella on the road. Is this the first time a hologram has been tasked with a world tour? Let's take a look back at some of the more memorable moments in hologram history.
We contacted the experts at the New York Public Library this morning for a little background information on the hologram. They pointed us to A Cultural History of the Hologram by Sean F. Johnston, which states, "The hologram, the novel imaging medium conceived in 1947, underwent a series of technical mutations over the following 50 years," changing how creatives and scientists alike could use them. By the 1970s, there were hologram schools established in both San Francisco and New York, and a Museum of Holography in New York founded by Rosemary H. Jackson (this no longer exists)—this decade saw the height of hologram interest, to be sure (wonder why?).
By late last year, American Scientist was asking, "Whatever became of holography? The once-futuristic technology has less public glamour nowadays." They note in this article that "by the late 1980s, the artform's popularity was beginning to wane." But maybe now it's primed for a comeback? Below, four great hologram moments in history (or would-be hologram moments, in one case).
SALVADOR DALI had claimed to be the first to employ holography on an artistic level, with his 1973 three dimensional hologram of Alice Cooper called: “First Cylindric Chromo-Hologram Portrait of Alice Cooper’s Brain.” He also had a hologram exhibit at New York's Knoedler Gallery, though the first of its kind actually took place in 1970 at the Finch College Gallery.
FRANK ZAPPA: While we can't find any further documentation of this, we once talked to Ike Willis in Providence, RI after one of his shows there, and he told us that Frank had talked about touring a hologram of himself. This would have been a hologram based off of a live show he would be playing, which would be transmitted to other stages throughout the world. The details were never really hammered out, but Zappa did have an interest in holograms.
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS/HATSUNE MIKUE: In 1985 we were all introduced to Jem and the Holograms, an animated television series following the adventures of Jerrica Benton, who adopts this persona of Jem "with the help of a holographic computer, known as Synergy," which projects "the Jem hologram" over her. The most similar comparison in real life is Hatsune Miku, a "virtual avatar created by Crypton Media using Yamaha’s Vocaloid voice synthesizer."
PRINCESS LEIA: This is the first hologram many of us probably remember seeing in Star Wars, but did you know MIT researchers have been making a "Princess Leia" hologram demo, "a system that uses Microsoft Kinect to capture live 3D data and transmit it over the Net to a holographic projector"?
In the music world, the hologram hasn't been used that much (in the way that Zappa wanted to use it, and the way it seems Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog will be)... but what if it became a thing? Would you watch a hologram version of Nirvana Unplugged?
Tagged
frank zappa
history
hologram
holograms
salvador dali
tupac
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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