Peter Bahouth's decision to work in one of the oldest forms of photography (stereoscopic photography having originated in 1860 and fallen out of favor by 1920) places him virtually alone in the field of contemporary image-making. The once futuristic technology of stereoscopic photography now holds a retro charm and nostalgically mechanical sensibility in today’s world of electronic wizardry. The use of transparencies (slides) as the medium rather than their traditional role as just one component of the photographic process, the tiny size of the transparencies, (the opposite of the current dominance in photography of large format print images), and the required use of a stereoscopic viewer to actually see the images as only one person at a time can look through the viewer, result in a highly personal experience for the viewer as they discover the image, intimately and with the immediacy of the transparency, in a completely private moment.

A delightful visual bang is the reward of approaching the tiny lenses, peeking in and being confronted with a dramatically three-dimensional image that feels oddly more inside one's head than any exterior experience. The free standing "viewing stands" that hold and present the transparencies, themselves become enigmatic, sculptural, rather pop objects as they beckon, somewhat like E.T., and innocently invite, with their secretive pair of round eye-like lenses, for the viewer to interact with them. The height of the stands are designed to cause most people to have to bend down slightly to look into the viewer which enhances the effect of secretive ‘peeking’ and emphasizes the 3 dimensional push-pull impact of the image. Building upon the private peepshow nature of the viewing experience, Bahouth is also subverting the current spectator sport nature of current artistic practice by denying the ability, partly by the nature of the medium and partly by design, for more than a single pair of eyes to discover the image at one time.

Artist's Statement by Peter Bahouth

I utilize stereoscopic photography as a medium to address aesthetic issues raised by the biology of vision and the problem of portraying space. Concepts of vision and perspective have been central to my work with stereoscopic photography, but I am equally motivated by a personal history with stereo images and my interest in their contemporary use.

Stereoscopic photography, as old as photography itself, has played various roles in society. From 1860 to 1920 stereo views were essentially the home entertainment of the times. More recently the View-Master, intended as a substitute to postcards, instead become the popular children’s toy. For many of us, this was our first art collection, and the stereoscopic images were an effective medium for creating the illusion of “being there”. In the early 1950’s, the availability of commercial “stereo” cameras made it possible to create amateur stereo images. Coupled with the introduction of ultra-vivid Kodacrome film, resulting images portray an intense perception of the time. It was my father’s stereo photographs of our family that formed my interest in stereoscopic images and their ability to convey spatial relationships and intensified perceptions of time, place and feelings.

Images of binocular space, and the super realism of stereoscopy are key elements in my photography. Stereoscopic perception, likes color perception, can be controlled artistically, and as such is an important medium in this context. The images are selected to address the issue of space in a contemporary context, and viewed through a viewer, which intensifies the experience through personal participation.