I am rushing out the door right now,but I must stop for a moment and report on this very cool discovery related to Man Ray and light painting, or as he called it “space writing”.  I was forwarded this information by the Man Ray Trust.

Man Ray is the first light painter.  His “space writing” images are the very first recorded light painting images that I can find.  You can see his 3 “space writing” images here.

Well, in a recent article in The Smithsonian Magazine there is news about an interesting new discovery in his “space writing” images.  Quoting from the article, “…Ellen Carey, a photographer whose working method is similar to Man Ray’s, has discovered something that has been hidden in plain sight in Space Writings for the past 74 years: the artist’s signature, signed with the penlight amid the swirls and loops.”

This is a link to the article. Be sure to check out the interactive demonstration at the right hand side of the page to see his signature outlined clearly.

I’ll have more about “space writing” later as I work to include these images, and analysis of them, into Luminary.

     LAPP-PRO makes the rest of us feel something.  We felt something when we visited them

and it seems like more and more people are starting to feel the power of their images.  It's not hard to understand why folks are attracted to LAPP-PRO's images.  It's exciting to see that they have gotten some TV play in their home town Bremen.  Check out the movie here.

     LAPP-PRO creates some of the most compelling and, dare I say, astonishing pictures I have seen.  They are full of Psychic Energy and Gestalt. Gestalt is often defined in English as: A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts.

     "Gestalt psychology is based on the observation that we often experience things that are not a part of our simple sensations...Furthermore, say the Gestalt psychologists, we are built to experience the structured whole as well as the individual sensations." (Dr. C. George Boree). 

     Now, I think these are apt descriptions for light painting in general, but especially for the images LAPP-PRO create.  Their pictures are much more than the sum of their parts.  The gestalt of LAPP-Pro is seen in each gesture, in every "brush stroke" they make. The unique nature of LAPP is that it is a whole body, kinesthetic, action/experience that is simultaneously technical, creative and developmental. The following is a quote from Dr. Gerald Grow:

     "The core elements of the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are control of one's bodily motions and capacity to handle objects skillfully (206). Gardner elaborates to say that this intelligence also includes a sense of timing, a clear sense of the goal of a physical action, along with the ability to train responses so they become like reflexes. Along with these, you often find a high degree of fine-motor control and a gift for using whole body motions....Gardner cites a dancer's conviction that we all have the capacity "to apprehend directly" the actions, feelings, or dynamic abilities of other people, without help from words or pictures (228)" (Gardner, Howard. Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. 1983. New York: Basic Books, 1985)

Light is just plain cool and quantum physics is pretty fun stuff. There are Scientific and Spiritual aspects to quantum physics and some see the keys to universal understanding in the fundamental tenants of quantum mechanics.

Michael Bosanko is lighting up Britain, and TalkTalk’s latest advertising campaign, with a giant green dinosaur, glowing flowers, an electric bull—and the queen herself.

The UK’s leading internet service provider enlisted renowned light artist Bosanko to illustrate the company’s repositioning as the UK’s “Brighter Phone and Broadband” provider.

Bosanko spent a weekend shooting overnight for the campaign at landmarks in London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Using long-exposure photography and an array of torches to paint with light, Bosanko created a series of captivating images showcasing some of Britain’s most famous attractions.

In Bosanko’s world, a dinosaur shines from the gate of the Natural History Museum. Whimsical flowers illuminate the Sheffield Botanical Gardens. Flames engulf the Angel of the North. A lone bull stands outside the Bullring Birmingham, and the queen sparkles from her throne in front of Buckingham Palace.  

TalkTalk’s ad campaign brings Bosanko’s one-of-a-kind images to a large public audience, formally introducing the little-known art of light painting.

A photographer for more than a decade, Bosanko discovered light painting on a trip to Greece in 2004. Since then, he has helped pioneer and define the medium.

Bosanko spent years perfecting his technique, but aspiring light artists and curious onlookers have the opportunity to try their hand at light painting on TalkTalk’s Web site.

Check out Bosanko's tour of the UK!! And, check out our visit with him in Cardiff Wales.