MOUNT HOLLY – Take a step back in time and marvel at the beauty and atmosphere of 19th century entertainment during Burlington County’s Art of the Magic Lantern performance festival and exhibit.
“Before movies, televisions and videos were invented, there were magic lantern shows offering a fantastic mix of art, theater, science and music,” saidBurlingtonCounty Commissioner Allison Eckel, the liaison to the Department of Resource Conservation and Parks. “We’re excited to giveBurlingtonCounty residents and visitors the opportunity to experience this art, its history, and the science behind it, through live performances and a gallery exhibit organized by ourBurlingtonCounty Parks System.”
Among the performers participating in theBurlingtonCounty Art of the Magic Lantern performance festival is Terry Borton, a Kennet Square, Pennsylvania magic lantern performer and historian who founded the Museum of American Magic Lantern Shows.(Courtesy of Burlington County)
Performing at theBurlingtonCounty magic lantern festival will be Melissa Ferrari, a California performer who uses antique magic lanterns and hand-drawn animations.(Courtesy of Burlington County)
An exhibit of magic lanterns, magic lantern slides, stained glass art and other pre-cinema storytelling devices will be on display at the Workers House Gallery in Historic Smithville Park in Eastampton from July 11 through Sept. 28.(Courtesy of Burlington County)
Magic lanterns were devices that projected images from painted or photographed glass plates or slides onto walls or screens. The devices first appeared in Europe in the late 1600s but they would become increasingly popular in the 19thand early 20thcenturies.BurlingtonCounty will host its first-ever Art of the Magic Lantern performance festival on Saturday, July 13, at theBurlingtonCounty Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences. The event will feature multiple magic lantern shows created by artists from across the nation.(Courtesy of Burlington County)
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The performance festival will be held on Saturday, July 13, from 11 AM to 4 PM, at theBurlingtonCounty Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences in Mount Holly and will feature multiple magic lantern shows created by artists from across the nation.
Magic lanterns were devices that projected images from painted or photographed glass plates or slides onto walls or screens. The devices first appeared in Europe in the late 1600s but they would become increasingly popular in the 19thand early 20thcenturies with the addition of stronger and more reliable light sources.
The festival is being organized by theBurlingtonCounty Parks System as a companion to a special exhibit of magic lanterns, magic lantern slides, stained glass art and other pre-cinema storytelling and animation devices, including zoetropes (a spinning circular device with multiple drawings or photographs that appear to move) and stereoscopes (an early precursor to 3D and virtual reality).
The exhibit will be on display from July 11 through Sept. 28 at the Workers House Gallery in Historic Smithville Park in Eastampton. A reception will be held on Friday, July 12, from 5 PM to 7 PM, and will have a giant interactive zoetrope.
The reception will also feature a raree–a form of puppet show displayed in a portable box – performed by Joel Schlemowitz, a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and magic lantern collector and performer.Schlemowitz will also deliver a lecture at the July 13 festival about the history of Phantasmagoria, a form of horror theater that used magic lantern projections to portray ghosts, skeletons and demons.
“The exhibit and performance festival will highlight how light can affect emotions and help tell stories and create atmosphere,” Eckel said. “It will also introduce people to the science and history of pre-cinema and how modern artists are using old techniques and media in new ways.”
Schlemowitz is also scheduled to perform a lantern show at the July 13 festival, along with the following artists:
- Terry Borton, a Kennett Square, Pennsylvania-based magic lantern performer and historian who founded the Museum of American Magic Lantern Shows
- Maisie O’Brien, a Philadelphia-based artist and performer specializing in crankie theater (scrolling panoramic art)
- Melissa Ferrari, a South Pasadena, California performer who uses antique magic lanterns and hand-drawn animations.
- Larry Rakow an Ohio-based magic lantern expert who has performed for nearly 35 years across the United States, Canada and England.
- Matt Schnittker, a California resident who works in the entertainment industry as a technology manager. He has been credited on several animated films, including Zootopia, Tangled, The Princess and the Frog and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
Admission to both the magic lantern performance festival, exhibit and exhibit reception are free of charge and among the hundreds of events, programs and activities created by theBurlingtonCounty Parks System.
“TheBurlingtonCounty Parks System has grown to become one of the best in the nation, with fantastic parks, museums, art galleries, programs and events that entertain, educate and enrich,” said Eckel. “The upcoming magic lantern festival and exhibit are great examples of the ingenuity and creativity of our parks staff and of our county’s support for all forms of art.”
— Courtesy of Burlington County
