paleocamera

Herds of prehistoric beasts stir as dawn breaks over the steppelands.

At the edge of the field, a family of early humans slumbers in a crude, animal-hide tent. A girl wakes first. She feels the warmth and comfort of thick fur blankets as the scent of charcoal drifts from the hearth. Fading into consciousness, she sees bison floating around on the ceiling, on the walls, on the floor, on herself.

She tries to touch the bison, but they are without physical substance.

Awed, scared, she wakes the others.

Season 1, Episode 5 “Hiding in the Light” of Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey. Series written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson (first aired in the USA on April 6, 2014). Clip used with permission from Cosmos Enterprises and FOX.

 

Harsh climates during the Paleolithic forced members of the human lineage to make rudimentary huts and tents. Survival depended on the ability to seal out the elements. Archeo-optical experiments with Paleolithic tent reconstructions indicate that small random holes in these rough shelters coincidentally formed camera obscuras, projecting moving images inside the dwelling spaces…

Through light-borne images,

humanity was introduced to the possibility of

representations, spirit realms, and abstract planes.

  • “Unlocking the secrets hidden in light.”

    Neil deGrasse Tyson
    Astrophysicist
    Hayden Planetarium, AMNH

  • “For years I've been calling for unity of science and religious faith, in particular tribal creation stories, and now… it is — dear G_D! — done!”

    Edward O. Wilson
    Professor Emeritus Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
    Harvard University

  • “An absolutely fascinating prospect….amazing.…and I think credible.”

    Alan F. Segal
    Professor Emeritus of Religion
    Barnard College

  • “Perceptually and cognitively sound"

    Valérie Scott
    Psychologist
    Indiana University Southeast

  • “...amazingly thorough and convincing.”

    Matthew Landrus
    Art Historian
    University of Oxford

  • “...revolutionary and insistently plausible...”

    Diane Heilenman
    Critic
    Courier-Journal

  • "Astonishing!... a great service..."

    -Armando Prats
    Media Theorist
    University of Kentucky

  • "...very persuasive..."

    Patrick Hughes
    Artist UK

  • 'the penny drops'

    Nigel Spivey
    Archeologist
    University of Cambridge

  • "Fiat Lux"

    Pierre Cattelain
    Archeologist
    Director of the Musée du Malgré-Tout

  • "...elegant as well as clear..."

    Virginia Steen-McIntyre
    Tephrochronologist
    USA

  • "Why hasn't anybody thought of this before?"

    Donald R. Anderson
    Photography Professor
    Monterey Peninsula College

  • “...very convincing ....separates 'how' from 'why.'”

    Edwin Segal
    Anthropologist
    University of Louisville

  • “...an excellent piece of reconstructional archaeology...fresh, innovative, out of the box...”

    David Chapman
    Reconstruction Archeologist
    Ancient Arts, UK

  • "What seemed highly suggestive if hypothetical when I first heard Matt speak, now seems increasingly convincing."

    Martin Kemp
    Art Historian
    University of Oxford

  • “Take the idea of Matt Gatton, the paleo-camera obscura: we see a representation of the world, but we do not yet understand. But then: wow, boom, click! Suddenly, the man turns into a conscious human being.”

    -Hicham Khalidi
    Curator
    STUK Arts Centre

Excerpts from — “The Camera Obscura and the Origin of Art: The case for image projection in the Palaeolithic.” First presented at the University of Louisville on October 6, 2005.