Museum with a difference

Saturday, 4 October 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

What was once a rare and luxury item is today one of the commonest and cheapest. As youngsters it was our dream to own one. Out of those who possessed one, not many liked to let us use it. Today with a tremendous surge in mobile phones, almost all users carry one either in the pocket or the handbag. The camera is such a common article. Of course, for those who want a more complex one, the range is so wide. To walk through the Camera Museum located in a two-storey pre-war house in a rather isolated street in Georgetown was a fascinating experience. The collection is so vast and it’s an unforgettable journey through a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration. A poster explains how since ancient times, it has been observed that light entering through a small hole in the wall or shutter of a darkened room casts an inverted image of the scene outside the opposite wall. In 1676, German mathematician, Johann Christoph Sturm, described a portable camera obscura with an internal mirror reflecting the image onto a translucent screen set in the top. Throughout the 18th century those single-lens reflex cameras were in widespread use. Walking into the Pinhole Room, you are asked to imagine you are in a large cinema. The pinhole room shows you how a camera works. You stand in front of a huge photograph on the wall. The photograph is upside down and flipped from left to right. You are told this is how a camera works – even today’s modern camera. Displayed in the Museum are descriptions of how the better known makes originated. Here is an example. A 35mm Machine Gun camera is described in a poster tracing its origin to a Japanese 89 ‘Rokuon-Sha’ 35mm Machinegun Camera made by K.K. Kanishanuko Manufacturing Co. which was to later become Konica. The camera takes 18x24mm pictures on 35mm cine film loaded in 2.5 strips. It is driven by a hand-cranked spring motor and can take sequences at 10 frames per second. It had been used as a training tool for gunners and pilots. In addition to the Camera Obscure, there are many other types. These include daguerreotype, box camera, folding camera, large and medium format camera, 35mm camera, single and twin lens reflex, point and shoot to instant and digital camera – in short, models ranging through 18th century right up to the present day. The collection is a well-thought-out one by two enthusiastic men, who covered a good part of the world and spent a lot of money and time to create a unique exhibition of a product loved by all. Cameras have been collected from Britain, Europe, France, India, Japan, Russia and Thailand. While most of the specimens are displayed in glass showcases, the visitors are allowed to handle actual antique cameras and feel the weight of the relics like the iconic Kodak Brownie, Rollieflex and Folding Camera. During the visit we learnt that Princess Diana is the most photographed person in the world. Actress Audrey Hepburn is shown with a Vintage Polaroid camera in hand and hailed as the most beautiful woman in the 20th century. The Camera Museum is just a little more than a year old. During this short space of time, an International photography festival and an environmentally-friendly Pinhole Camera Project workshop (for local High School youth) have been held at the Museum. National Geographic Photographer Maggie Steber has showcased her ‘Audacity of Beauty Captions’ at the Museum’ gallery. One of the long running gallery programs is the monthly photography exhibition, featuring local and international award winning photography works. Adjoining the Museum is its own cafe called ‘Double Exposure’. It’s a place for visitors to sit down and grab a bite while discussing and digesting a one-of-a-kind museum experience. Keeping them company is a group of pedigree cats. Incidentally, the Owl Museum in Penang Hill, which this column referred to last week, is also a creation by the same persons who conceptualised the Camera Museum. Both are ‘musts’ for visitors to Penang.