Open the doors of visual perception in this experimental dark room photography class. After several observation exercises, we will construct a camera obscura and make photograms documenting the visual phenomena that we encounter.

We will focus on phosphenes, a term for the spots of light and color that we sometimes see when we close our eyes, and discuss other visual hallucination experiments that you can practice including Ganzfeld hallucinations, visual deprivation, dreams, and contact phosphenes. Using alternative photography techniques, we will witness and record these experiments.

Price: $185

Audience: Open to all adults regardless of experience.

Materials: All materials provided to students in class.

Kate Ovaska received her MFA from Columbia University and her BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She was awarded the CAA Professional Development Grant and the Fulbright Fellowship to Germany and is currently the darkroom manager at Pioneer Works. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Image: Photographic Phosphene Experiments by Kate Ovaska