Holography Contest 2012

[Jem]

Is the ISDH for professionals only? Reading Dinesh's post it sounds as though 'hobbyists' may be frowned upon.

No point in John and I making an effort to go if no-one's going to talk to us

Jem

[Ed Wesly]

No, the symposia in the Lake Forest tradition are for holograhers of all persuasions! Please come, you will fit in and be quite welcome!

[dannybee]

ok who wants to head it up on the east end! to chect out this posiblities! david? Ed? Jeff? also on the west coast who has ideas....i can hold one here in Visalia... what about San Jose? or San Diego? or Napa?

[Dinesh]

Is the ISDH for professionals only? Reading Dinesh's post it sounds as though 'hobbyists' may be frowned upon

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that.

ISDH is the evolution/child of TJ (Tung Jeong) of Lake Forest College in Illinois. TJ set up the Lake Forest conferences every three years sometime in the 70's as a way of way of getting together display holographers who were not scientists or engineers. Back then, as far as I know, the only venue for holography was the SPIE conferences. These were a set of conferences meant for scientists and engineers in the optics areas and the content was highly technical. There was a subsection in SPIE for holography led by Steve Benton and the papers, in keeping with the technical nature of the conference, were quite technical. Over the years papers by display holographers for display holographers were presented, but still the main thrust of the conference was to keep other professionals and academics abreast of the latest research in corporations and universities. In fact after Benton died, TJ took over the helm of SPIE and there was a specific section on Art Holography in the SPIE program. TJ started the Lake Forest conferences as a venue for display holography, where the papers were far more informal and the whole atmosphere was far more informal. TJ also had the concept that the holographers would be kept together in a small town near a large city so that all the display holographers could mingle and get to know each other in a somewhat intimate surroundings. I have a picture of attendees in 1983 with a (very!) youthful Peter Miller, Bob Hess, Fred Unterseher. At any rate, the Lake Forest conferences were the antithesis of SPIE - informal and loose.

TJ always had the idea of expanding the conferences overseas (he came to London in about 84 and suggested a Scottish Castle in some remote area!). In 2000 TJ held the "Lake Forest" conference in Austria, in a small town called St Polten outside Vienna. However, it was no longer in Lake Forest Illinois so it could no longer be called the Lake Forest conference, so it became the International Symposium for Display Holographers (ISDH). The next one three years later was in Wales and the last one in 2009 was in China. The latest one is in MIT.

So, right now the SPIE conferences are getting quite technical again, with a lot of papers in digital and computerised holography and getting very expensive. This means that amateur and hobbyists don't go to SPIE and ISDH is specifically catered to the amateurs, hobbyists and anyone else involved in just display holography for it's own sake, rather than university research and corporate puffery.

There is, sadly, a feeling that if you're a PhD doing Deep and Meaningful research that's going to change the world, or you're a Major International Corporation that's going to be a Major Force in the holography marketplace, then you present your credentials at the Court of SPIE and garner a great deal of respect and kudos for the deep, fundamental insights into holography. This puts you above the hoi polloi of the sand table/ basement table set. Yes, there is a class structure! If you get the idea that I don't have a great deal of time for corporate CEO's in expensive suits or academic PhD's full of multi-syllabic techspeak, you wouldn't be far wrong!

At any rate, about five years ago, maybe less, there was a buzz in the holographic world that there were no new holographers coming into the holographic universe. This was brought up for discussion at the Holography Group meeting. If memory serves, Kaveh stood up and said that there needs to be more public showings of holography, as there used to be in the 70's and 80's. I tried to stand up and say that there was a growing set of hobbyists and amateurs (in the sense of holography not being a "day job") and that there was quite a lot of talent and some great work being produced by this crowd. Anyway, when I stood up, the moderator asked me what I was about to say. I replied, "Well, I want to expand what Kaveh just said and suggest that the growing and talented hobbyists crowd's work should be taken into account". The moderator (no names mentioned!) said, "Oh shut up and sit down Dinesh". So I did. Afterwards Bob Hess told me in the corridor outside that he agreed that the hobbyists were showing some pretty good work and they should be recognised by the mainstream. He mentioned that he would try and bring it up the following year. I wasn't there the following year, so I don't know if he did.

I hope, Jern, that this description shows that you would be welcome to ISDH, and that ISDH is not SPIE. It would be a great opportunity to meet other display holographers and , really, a lot of information is passed back and forth in a much more informal setting. Hope you and John will be there!

[Jem]

Thanks Dinesh, that's a really nice reply

The timing of the meet is a bit close to a Laser Enthusiasts Meeting that I am organising here in the UK. Plus it all depends on the cost of flights and hotels. I'll start doing some digging around for prices.

Cheers

Jem

[dannybee]

ok who wants to head it up on the east end! to chect out this posiblities! david? Ed? Jeff? also on the west coast who has ideas....i can hold one here in Visalia... what about San Jose? or San Diego? or Napa?

what about over seas England? Holland?

[dannybee]

ok who wants to head it up on the east end! to chect out this posiblities! david? Ed? Jeff? also on the west coast who has ideas....i can hold one here in Visalia... what about San Jose? or San Diego? or Napa?

what about over seas England? Holland?

I feel like I'm not getting much response here! If everyone thinks I’m that much damaged goods! Please let me know and I will pass this off to someone else. There will always be disagreements when we work with people. But my hope is that we look pass this and learn to work together to make this happen. A traveling galleries and contest from east to west to overseas…but if you all think someone else can handle this better I will pass it on to him. Maybe Im reading something that is not there, but get the impression that everyone is avoiding me because of my conflict with Jeff. Ive have talked to two of my friends that I respect very much david, and dinesh, and they both said I need to tone it down, and rework my ideas and posts in a way which others will understand my ideas and results, in which I will do. But let’s move forward to make this happen to show the world holography of both amateur and professional

[Tony]

I can speak only for me but I get a little wary about some of the odd rants and personal attacts Danny. I am sure you are well intentioned but you should know that we are all responsible for our personal conduct. These things erode credibility and dilutes the positive vibe of the forum.

That being said, I am still willing to contribrute a piece or two (if they are good enough to display). I doubt I have the time to find a place to display here but if Bob threw his hat in I would be glad to help out.

It isn't super clear to me what we are doing, but will do what I can.

Tony

[dannybee]

I can speak only for me but I get a little wary about some of the odd rants and personal attacts Danny. I am sure you are well intentioned but you should know that we are all responsible for our personal conduct. These things erode credibility and dilutes the positive vibe of the forum.

That being said, I am still willing to contribrute a piece or two (if they are good enough to display). I doubt I have the time to find a place to display here but if Bob threw his hat in I would be glad to help out.

It isn't super clear to me what we are doing, but will do what I can.

Tony

yes I understand you view point.. I think it goes a bit deeper than that, there is away 2 sides to a coin and is not always what is seen on the surface probably more a clash of personalities. but hoping the forum goes back to a discussion about holography not just a help desk or pro verse amateur.
well about whats happening I'am polling to see what every one wants to do it we do a contest to would travel from place to place with the display holograms, the rules would be the same as on the http://www.holosource.org site dave had a few ideas on shipping and MIT in June of next year this could be almost like our old gathering what we called it i can't remember right now! but would be good if we had at lest 3 displays, one on the east one on the west and one overseas

[jsfisher]

Has this thread died for lack of interest?