Raree Shows 2 Cultural history of the Forms and Customs of Viewing a Picture in memory of dr. Magdolna Kolta Opening remarks by Orsolya Kőrösi, managing director of the Hungarian House of Photography and Rita Rubovszky, managing director of Hungarofest Public Benefit Organization Exhibition is opened by Károly Kincses photomuseologist Open to the public: 11. November 2008. - 4. January 2009. Every weekdays: 14.00 – 19.00 Weekend: 11.00 – 19.00

Raree Shows 2
Cultural history of the Forms and Customs of Viewing a Picture

in memory of dr. Magdolna Kolta

Ten thousand, five hundred or even five years ago, people didn't see the world surrounding them as we do today. Our eyes and our brain learned how to look at the elements of reality through their most complex and intricate transcripts in any shape or form they occurred. Our exhibition showcases a segment of this learning process. In the Sunlight Studio, we invoke and reproduce forms and traditions of picture-viewing through collections of optical and other devices from before and after the invention of photography. The first part of the exhibition was organized by Magdolna Kolta and Gyula Munkácsy at the Hungarian Museum of Photography. This new exhibition is to honor Magdi Kolta (born 50 years ago) who sadly passed away three years ago. In addition, we publish a new, extended version of her book Picture-showman A Cultural History of the Forms and Customs of Viewing, both in Hungarian and in English to make this unique work accessible for all.

(Károly Kincses
photo museologist)

The exhibition is part of the Camera obscura and of the Hungarian Month of Photography program series.

In the Daylight Studio, we invoke and reproduce forms and traditions of picture-viewing through collections of optical and other, related devices from before and after the invention of photography.

We believe that ten thousand, five hundred and even five years ago didn't see the world surrounding them the way we do today. The eyes learned how to see and how to recognize the elements of reality through their most complex and intricate transcripts in any shape or form they occurred. Our exhibition showcases a segment of this process.

We start from claiming that the invention of photography (or rather moving pictures) is the outcome of a long learning process in cultural history. Just a few decades ago, children of nature had not been able to identify themselves on the photos taken of them. Through a learning process, the European man has developed a communion with picture representation; they have accepted and demanded recording three-dimensional reality in two dimensions and finding ways to imitate the movements of the world. This cultural-historical process incorporated elements of science (developments in optics and visual devices) and pop culture (acts at fairs, visual games, free-time activities). As picture-gobbling citizens of today's overly and overtly visual world it is hard to imagine what magical powers pictures held one or two centuries ago.

At first, the public almost primarily encountered images and paiting as sacral portrayals; now, through the various forms of representations, the admiration of picture-viweing and photos gained new levels of popularity effecting a cultural change analogous to the Gutenberg revolution in printing.

Along with the special optical collection of the Hungarian Museum of Photography, our exhibition will display optical objects from the National Educational Library and Museum and other, relevant items from public collections, private collectors, contemporary artists.
The exhibition discusses the laws of optics. We display devices enabling the understanding optics, camera obscuras and portray the biography of screening from laterna magica through the slide-projector. The exhibition also showcases various imitations of movement, picture imitations of the sense of space, and special effects of transparent pictures.

The first part of the exhibition was organized by Magdolna Kolta and Gyula Munkácsy at the Hungarian Museum of Photography in 1998. This exhibition is to pay tribute to the late Magdi Kolta. We publish a new, extended version of her book Picture-showman A Cultural History of the Forms and Customs of Viewing; this unique piece is now being translated into English, so that it can effect audiences outside of Hungary's borders. The two volumes will be launched in December.

(Károly Kincses
photo museologist)

We would like to acknowledgment the following institutions, organizations, and persons for the contributions towards the exhibition:
ArtBázis Összművészeti Műhely (ArtBázis Art Workshop), Géza Kresz Ambulance Museum, Hungarian Museum of Photography, Association of Hungarian Photographers, Hungarian National Film Archive, Manufaktor Studio, National Educational Library and Museum, Hungarian Theater Museum and Institute, Zoltán Arany Gold, Péter Laczkó, Andor Lukáts, István Orosz

Mai Manó House hosts numberless events related to the exhibition Raree Shows 2 – Cultural History of the Forms and Customs of Viewing a Picture.

The Picture-showman Weekend on December 6th – 7th offers programs for families and courses in museum pedagogy and other interactive workshops organized according to the renaissance theme; also, guided tours, movie screenings, presentations and concerts, spectacular photo attractions, puppeteers for the little ones and other spectacles invite the participation of those interested.

Programs in detail:

Raree Shows Weekend – for the young and the older

December 6th - 7th (Saturday - Sunday)
Between 11:00am nad 4:00pm both days, travel on a bus transformed into a camera obscura.

December 6th (Saturday)
11:00 am – 5:00 pm Creative workshop for children with the collaboration of the Manufaktor Studio and Zoltán Arany Gold - Find perspective mirrors, books with hip paper layers, paper theaters, and dazzling scrapbooks among the Manufaktor Studio's exhibition items (many of which can be tried and purchased on site). There will be a freely operated, special projector that will allow for those interested wander in the 2 and 3 dimensional universes of a Japanese folk-tale.
11:00 am – 5:00 pm Bába-peek-a-boo – the Bábakalács Puppet Theater's peek-a-boo theater performance
2:00 pm Mai Manó guided tour
5:00 pm Raree Shows guided tour with Péter Laczkó travelling photographer

December 7th (Sunday)
11:00 am – 5:00 pm Creative workshop for children with the collaboration of the Manufaktor Studio and Zoltán Arany Gold - Find perspective mirrors, books with hip paper layers, paper theaters, and dazzling scrapbooks among the Manufaktor Studio's exhibition items (many of which can be tried and purchased on site). There will be a freely operated, special projector that will allow for those interested wander in the 2 and 3 dimensional universes of a Japanese folk-tale. Involving the young participants, Zoltán Arany Gold will demonstrate the functioning of the zootrop, the precursor to the projector.
6:00 pm Surprise act