Vision - About the project
Warning
The research project ended 2008. This is an archived website.
The original website has been archived into a static site, preserving links to source materials. You can also download CSV dumps of the bibliography: vision-bibliography and databases: db-vision-lit, db-vision-images
Devices and Concepts of Visuality and Representation
The long-term objective of this Open Digital Library is to set up a corpus of descriptions, opinions and notions related to theory and practice of the use of optical instruments for the sake of depiction in Art and Science. Furthermore, it intends to make available a set of illustrations of the optical drawing devices themselves as well as of the visual products resulting from their use.
The principal goal is to facilitate analytical comparison and to offer a key to the multiplicity of the users’ scopes, intentions and motivations, allowing to explore the conceptual premises leading artists and scientists to “arm their eyes” for drawing in different historical, aesthetic and epistemological contexts.
The idea of this open digital library originated in a research context focussing on the experience of Nature in the early 19th century that explores possible mutual relationships between aesthetic and epistemic notion of vision, cognition and experience as to their meaning for the observation of natural phenomena and the practices of its representation.
Put in train on that ground with typical 19th-century drawing devices and application fields,the data collection gradually extended to other contrivances that are representative for modes of vision and representation in a much broader time span, tracing back to the 16th century. Additionally, several 20th century and current practices have been taken into account along with their discussions.
Useful Links
- Artificial Eyes (Stanford University)
- ARTSTOR
- The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments (Harvard University)
- Collection of Scientific Instruments of the Gabinetto di Alessandro Volta (Pavia University)
- Collections Database of the Museum of the History of Science (Oxford)
- Epact. Scientific Instruments of Medieval and Renaissance Europe
- George Eastman House, Rochester (New York)
- Institute and Museum of the History of Science, Florence
- Institute and Museum of the History of Science, Florence, Biblioteca Perspectivae
- Institute for History and Foundations of Science (Utrecht University)
- Instruments for Science, 1800-1914 (Scientific Trade Catalogs in Smithsonian Collections)
- Mikroskop Museum
- Museum optischer Instrumente
- Online Register of Scientific Instruments
- Science Museum London Collections and Research
- Scientific Instrument Commission, International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science
Cooperations & Mutual Links
Cooperations
- Berlin, Humboldt Universität/Hermann-Helmholtz-Zentrum für Kulturtechnik, Das Technische Bild
- Krems, Danube University Krems/Department for Image Science
- MARCEL - Multimedia Art Research Centres and Electronic Laboratories
- Pisa, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Project on Giovanni Battista Amici - Optical Instrument Maker, Astronomer, Naturalist
- Torino, Università di Torino/Museo di Fisica
- Urbino, University of Urbino/Physics Laboratory & Museum of Scientific Instruments
Mutual Links
- DELOS – Network of Excellence on Digital Libraries
- DIGITAL LIBRARY FORUM - Informationsportal des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) und der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
- VASCODA - Internetportal für wissenschaftliche Information
- The Transient Glance - The Claude Mirror and the Picturesque
- Iconic Turn (Hubert-Burda-Stiftung)
- ART-Guide: Sammlung kunsthistorischer Internetquellen
- ArtHist – Netzwerk für Kunstgeschichte
- Clio online – Fachportal für Geschichtswissenschaften
- KVK Universität Karlsruhe - artlibraries.net - Virtueller Katalog Kunstgeschichte
Partners
- Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, Library and Department II
- IT-Group of the Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science, Berlin
- ECHO - European Cultural Heritage Online
- Freie Universität Berlin - Art Histor
Staff & Contact
Head of the project:
- Erna Fiorentini (Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Kunstgeschichte)
Digitizing, database processing and administration, website design, general project assistance:
- Sabine Pannen (FU Berlin, 2006-2008)
- Barbara Thiele (FU Berlin, 2003-2007)
- Johanna Hess (FU Berlin, 2007)
- Jasmin Ihrac (FU Berlin, 2006-2007)
- Sabine Metzger (FU Berlin, 2003-2006)
New website layout 2007:
- Barbara Thiele (FU Berlin)
Funding
The project has been funded from January 1st, 2003 until April 30th, 2008 by the German Research Foundation - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) in the context of the Collaborative Research Centre - SFB 626 “Aesthetic Experience and the Dissolution of Artistic Limits” at the Freie Universität Berlin.
Copyright
The digitized texts and pictures of the Open Digital Library are of free use for investigation and didactic purposes, mentioning the source from where they were obtained. For commercial or editorial uses of any kind, those interested must request authorization from the institution that owns the work.
Every effort has been made to contact the authors, editors, publishing houses etc. concerning the copyright in order to obtain their permission for online publication. Should there be any cases which have not been considered, we kindly ask to contact us.