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Catalog of a Collection of Photographs by Gérard Allon in the Judaica Collection of the Harvard library

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tography. As conceived and expressed <strong>by</strong> <strong>Allon</strong>, holography is <strong>in</strong> a<br />

sense a two-dimensional rendition <strong>of</strong> a four-dimensional world and<br />

reality, as it also <strong>in</strong>cludes <strong>the</strong> element <strong>of</strong> time. Not only is <strong>the</strong> perspective<br />

not dependent on <strong>the</strong> camera’s position, it varies accord<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong><br />

viewer’s placement: two viewers look<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong> same picture will each<br />

perceive a different image, just as if look<strong>in</strong>g through a w<strong>in</strong>dow.<br />

Figure 11: Hologram from an <strong>in</strong>stallation for Paradoks ha-Halom<br />

ha-Homri (The Paradox <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Materialistic Dream), Tel Aviv Museum<br />

<strong>of</strong> Art, 1993.<br />

created <strong>in</strong> his state-<strong>of</strong>-<strong>the</strong> art studio laboratory touch upon a variety<br />

<strong>of</strong> subjects—from Biblical symbolism to fashion and portraiture (Figure<br />

11). However successful, his efforts did not meet with <strong>the</strong> response<br />

he expected. It seems that his experiments and <strong>the</strong> images he created<br />

were somewhat premature, with <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>tellectual and philosophical<br />

basis not understood.<br />

In <strong>Allon</strong>’s view, holography and syn<strong>the</strong>tic imagery questioned <strong>the</strong> traditional<br />

concept <strong>of</strong> photography and l<strong>in</strong>ear perspective as applied<br />

through <strong>the</strong> lens and <strong>the</strong> camera obscura. The new technologies, especially<br />

holography with its simultaneous multiple po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>of</strong> view <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> subject, is an anti<strong>the</strong>sis <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> time-frozen, “cyclopic” vision <strong>of</strong> pho-<br />

Hav<strong>in</strong>g traveled to <strong>the</strong> United States and Canada for his exhibitions<br />

<strong>in</strong> 1983 and 1985, <strong>Allon</strong> realized that <strong>the</strong> technology <strong>of</strong> holography<br />

had evolved to <strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> allow<strong>in</strong>g a wider range <strong>of</strong> creative possibilities.<br />

In addition, he also met potential <strong>in</strong>vestors want<strong>in</strong>g to create<br />

a research and development company <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> field, and <strong>the</strong>y <strong>of</strong>fered<br />

him a partnership and <strong>the</strong> direction <strong>of</strong> a laboratory <strong>in</strong> Montreal,<br />

Canada, <strong>the</strong> center <strong>of</strong> new imag<strong>in</strong>g technologies. In view <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

limited possibilities Israel could <strong>of</strong>fer for holography and his need<br />

for wider horizons, he decided to move to Canada <strong>in</strong> 1986. There, besides<br />

his regular photographic work, he experimented extensively<br />

with <strong>the</strong> magic beams. He registered a U.S. patent for a “Photograph<br />

Booth with Automatic Holographic Camera” on April 5, 1988; see<br />

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents-<strong>by</strong>-date/1988/0405-1.html. This<br />

unique device was capable <strong>of</strong> creat<strong>in</strong>g a hologram <strong>of</strong> a human subject<br />

positioned <strong>in</strong>side it and fac<strong>in</strong>g a holographic sheet film on which <strong>the</strong><br />

hologram <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> subject was to be recorded. Although <strong>the</strong> booth had all<br />

<strong>the</strong> necessary safety devices to prevent <strong>the</strong> laser beam from damag<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

sitter’s eyes, its high cost probably prevented its commercial realization.<br />

<strong>Allon</strong>’s stay <strong>in</strong> Canada, although longer than <strong>in</strong>tended, was also a period<br />

<strong>of</strong> reflection on <strong>the</strong> very essence <strong>of</strong> images, and it naturally <strong>in</strong>fluenced<br />

his future work. Upon his return to Israel <strong>in</strong> 1991, he cont<strong>in</strong>ued<br />

experiment<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>the</strong> notion <strong>of</strong> multiple po<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>of</strong> view, turn<strong>in</strong>g his<br />

16

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