DAY 358

PHOTOGRAPHIC CURIOSITIES

Remembering the Revolution

PINHOLE CAMERA MEETS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

A heavy cloud of patina surrounds the culture of the Mexican Revolution. Songs from the period between 1910 and 1920, revolutionary corridos, rancheras, and sones, continue to stir nostalgic sentiments years after most of the war’s contemporaries have passed on.

Having occurred only 100 years ago, the Mexican Revolution was one of the world’s first armed insurrections to be widely photographed and even filmed. American director Christy Cabanne signed a contract with Francisco “Pancho” Villa to record his troops in battle; the revolutionary commander reportedly promised to schedule his fighting for times when the daylight was optimal for filming.

In commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the Revolution, Mexico City photographer Arturo Betancourt has created a series of images that replicate the style from this historical period, developing a fusion of the primitive pinhole camera with modern digital technology.

Betancourt uses the sensor from a digital camera held within a chamber; in lieu of lenses, an aluminum can with a 3mm-wide perforation is used. (The size of the hole determines the resolution of the photograph.) The image is captured using the principle of “physical optic projection.”

Titled Reminiscences of the Revolutionary Past, the exposition features a series of photographs depicting the streets, parks and monuments in modern-day Mexico, which have been dedicated to the heroes of the Revolutionary War. A century later, they remain indelibly branded onto the national consciousness. —DJS