The Telectroscope

The Telectroscope site
Telectroscope' Allows View Across the Atlantic The Associated Press via youtube

A transatlantic portal has opened in New York and London - not a means of transportation, but an art project that links the two cities in real time via fibre optic imaging. (May 23)[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE] London seemed just a stone's throw away for people visiting the Brooklyn Bridge on its 125th Anniversary. And Londoners near the Tower Bridge, well, they could see a tree grow in Brooklyn, all thanks to a visionary artist and two "telectroscopes." The "telectroscopes" - one set up on each side of the "pond" - allow people to see and communicate with their counterparts in real time via fibre optic imaging. [Notes:Andy Slater, British citizen working in New York:]"IT WAS FANTASTIC HAVING A PROPER WINDOW ON ENGLAND, THAT'S SORT OF FAMILIAR. HAVING A POCKET OF SOMETHING FAMILIAR HERE, JUST BY NEW YORK AND I CAN TURN AND LOOK AT ONE SKYLINE AND LOOK AT THE OTHER. IT'S NICE TO SEE THE TWO TOGETHER LIKE THAT."Paul St George devised the art display because of his fascinations with illusion and reality, optical effect and perception. Peter Kohlmann, who helped set up the exhibit, reveled in its simplicity. [Notes:Peter Kohlmann, Telectroscope producer:]"WE HAVE ALL THIS TECHNOLOGY. PEOPLE ARE STILL AMAZED TO SEE ONE ANOTHER JUST STANDING THERE LOOKING THROUGH THIS DEVICE. AND THEY ARE EXCITED AND HOLD UP LITTLE SIGNS TO COMMUNICATE, THERE'S NO AUDIO. THEY COMMUNICATE AND LOOK AT EACH OTHER AND CALL EACH OTHER ON A CELL PHONE. YOU CAN SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER THAT WAY AND THAT'S WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT, SOMETHING DIFFERENT, SOMETHING UNUSUAL." And in the age of computer tele-conferencing and on-the-go mobile communications, getting folks to stand still - even for a moment - is a feat in and of itself; let alone on two sides of the Atlantic