Ray Harryhausen Exhibition
We were delighted to be commissioned by the National Galleries of Scotland to create a piece of work for the new Ray Harryhausen exhibition.
The piece is a modern take on the Zoetrope which is an animated vintage toy that was originally developed in 1830s. The Zoetrope produces the illusion of movement by viewing individual images through narrow slits in a rotating cylinder. The piece was inspired by Harryhausen’s films with references to well known characters on the model. The project was the perfect excuse to go back and revisit all his classic films.
For the phonotrope model, short looping clips were sourced from Ray Harryhausen films, such as this one from 'The Valley of Gwangi' (a troupe of circus performers on the search for a tiny horse stumble upon some dinosaurs in the middle of the desert - yes really!) then each clip was turned into individual cut out frames and arranged around a drum.
The frames from Ray Harryhausen film clips were cut out and arranged around the phonotrope drum. When the frames are spun on top of a record player at a certain speed and viewed through a camera, the images appear to come to life.
Here is the phonotrope model in action in the Ray Harryhausen exhibition in the National Gallery of Scotland. The exhibition is open now until September 2021 and is definitely worth a visit as there is so much to see for adults and kids. Find out more here
Phonotrope Photo by Neil Hanna Photography