Stereoscopy: the Dawn of 3-D

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The British Library and Kings College here: https://www.bl.uk/events/stereoscopy-the-dawn-of-3d-brian-may-and-denis-pellerin While getting books signed by Brian May, visitors will also have the opportunity to explore the wonders of the exhibition –“Stereoscopy Is Good For You: Life in 3-D”. For the next 5 months, the exhibition will offer visitors the chance to experience 3-D first-hand, using May’s patent OWL viewers, in three areas channeling the new SIGFY book, the Birth of Stereoscopy, and QUEEN in 3-D. I did a design to turn an iPhone into a stereo camera instantly,’ he reveals, ‘but nobody took me up on it. Yes, we now have the crowdfunded Qoocam, which is a nice stereo stills and movie camera, but it would be nice to have something built into phones.

Charles Wheatstone, a Professor at Kings College, discovered stereoscopy and invented the stereoscope in the 1830s and this was to be the start of 3-D. Through viewers, stereoscopic photographs and interactive elements, explore topics such as celebrity portraits, snapshots of Victorian life, scenes of satire and devilry found in Sir Brian May’s collection. Stereoscopic photographs and other artwork from Watts Gallery Trust’s own collection will feature among the loaned works.Visitorswill view the visuals in the splendour of 3-D through the stereoscopic OWL viewerdesigned by Brian Mayhimself. Brian is steeped in the history of stereoscopic photography. We wondered, if push came to shove, who is his favourite exponent? A stereoscopic image that allows viewers to see the surface of asteroid Bennu in three vivid dimensions when viewed through 3D glasses. (Image credit: The University of Arizona Press/London Stereoscopic Company) I now have an indelible disposition to look at scenes and see them “properly” in stereo. A lot of people go through almost their whole lives without realising they have this wonderful depth of perception. My job as the stereoscopic evangelist is to go, “No, there is a way you can transform your pictures into a format that will enable you to enjoy them forever as you did at the time of capture.”’ It’s the same with music. With Queen, we have always tried to play to the people and disregard the political situation. Music is about connecting people, and that’s our job, and it’s the same with photography. That said, none of us wants to put any kind of approval on what Russia is doing as a country right now. It’s an incredibly painful situation.’ A real eye-opener

EXCITING NEWS – Brian and the LSC finally announce that the highly anticipated title STEREOSCOPY IS GOOD FOR YOU: LIFE IN 3-D Unlike our previous books,’ he continues, ‘these images came in with every conceivable kind of alignment, framing etc, so it was an enormous job editing each one to get it to the optimum point. The most important consideration was to avoid giving the reader a headache. You need to keep a firm watch on the convergence of the images and now they are aligned to avoid straining the readers’ eyes. The “ghost in the stereoscope” refers to a craze within the craze for phantoms to appear in photos. They were a sort of spooky novelty. Global landmarks, such as the pyramids at Giza, were also popular. “You are in Egypt, you are in China, you are in Japan. By 1859 you could see the whole world in 3D,” says Pellerin. But it was pictures of famous people that the public really wanted to see. Presents the entire history of the asteroid from formation over 4.5 billion years ago, right the way through to today’s mission. Now, it does get to be more of a decision as you get older. I’m not 35 anymore, and leaving home for two months is not easy.OSIRIS-Rex left Bennu in May 2021 with almost 9 ounces (250 grams) of asteroid dust and gravel stowed in its return capsule. That, Lauretta said, is four times more than the original goal, meaning the mission, despite the trials and tribulations, accomplished its aims with flying colors. The probe will drop off the capsule at Earth this September before heading to Apophis, another hazardous asteroid whose path might intersect with that of our planet in the centuries to come.

Last month, Brian May revealed Queen are currently talking about heading out on tour with singer Adam Lambert next year – possibly for the last time. As we’ve been talking about social media, I ask May what he thinks Mercury would have made of the modern world. Because with the openness and instant gratification of social media also comes cancel culture. The upside and the downside. They are, in a way, two sides of the same coin.

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I’m thrilled that London’s prestigious PROUD gallery will be hosting our exhibition for a massive FIVE MONTHS. The stars seem to be aligning —- this is IT !“Stereoscopy Is Good For You” will put 3-D firmly on the map in 2022 !” On Monday 3 July 2023 – Brian May attended / launched this new exhibition: Watts Gallery Watts Preview Evening for new exhibition: Bennu, named for the ancient Egyptian phoenix, was the chosen destination of OSIRIS-REx, NASA’s premier mission of asteroid exploration, launched in 2016. Study of the asteroid is crucial in safeguarding the future of planet Earth as it is believed to pose great threat to Earth in approximately 160 years. Bennu is also a time capsule from the dawn of our Solar System, holding secrets over four-and-a-half billion years old about the origin of life and Earth as a habitable planet. The story behind Bennu is powerfully explored in narrative and beautiful visuals in this fascinating new publication. Brian’s next highly anticipated book – Bennu 3-D: Anatomy of an Asteroid – is coming very soon! To launch the title he and The London Stereoscopy Company are collaborating with one of the UK’s most magnificent institutions, the Natural History Museum…. Brian May and Professor Dante Lauretta

That May is occasionally ill-at-ease with the modern world became clear earlier this week (after our interview), when he criticised the Brit Awards for making its categories gender neutral in a bid to become more inclusive. May told The Sun he thought the Brits' decision was "ill-thought-out" and claimed it was a "knee-jerk reaction" to cancel culture. “I feel very uncomfortable about some of the decisions that are being made, often out of fear. Because people are so afraid of being called out. It is a horrible atmosphere,” he is reported to have said. "I worry about cancel culture. I think some of it is good but it also brings bad things and injustices. We think in different ways but they weren't necessarily worse ways.”

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And for those unfamiliar with it, this is the story behind one of our most thrilling titles to date – Brian can also be seen holding the first stereoscope alongside the 21st century stereoscope that he designed in 2009 and named an OWL. Photo credit: Paul Harmer The London Stereoscopic Company is delighted to announce the publication of the highly anticipated – STEREOSCOPY: The Dawn of 3-D, by Denis Pellerin, edited by Brian May – on 10th November 2021 SIGFY comes with an OWL Stereoscopic Viewer, designed by Brian, that does the job of transforming the stereoscopic pairs of images into magical in-depth 3-D. ​