The Traveling Ladies Optics Vanity incorporates tools of the craft of holography, along with the associated holograms that have been created. The lenses and mirrors are used to extend, distort and redirect the hologram image, or function as standalone sculptural elements. The Traveling Ladies Optics Vanity contains one hologram created in the 1980’s and two that were created in 2018. To date there are three Vanity boxes in the series and several more are in the planning stage.
Holographic optics are functional, beautiful and interesting. Displaying my holograms in concert with various optics, such as lenses and mirrors, in the Vanity series boxes, has been inspired by my interest in self-contained instruments from the past, mostly astronomical and early navigation devices such as the sextant. Such devices in themselves are not only functional, with the technology fully visible, but were beautifully designed as a way of honoring their importance during the ages they were used in. Connected visually as well, are the portable traveling vanity cabinets that we see throughout history in museums. These little boxes contained everything one needed when traveling on the Grand Tour. These Vanities inspired the title of this series of art works.
Kit of Parts:
•1 Pulse Hologram (1987), cut section from the Choice and Circumstance series, Crenshaw/Dinsmore
•1 Reflection two color hologram, cut section from Falling, from the Z-Axis series (1986) Crenshaw
•1 Reflection Hologram ~4 x 5 (2018) Wave, Crenshaw
•1 HOE Hologram 4 x 5 (2018) My Rudie’s Studio Grating, Crenshaw
•1 Protractor
•3 Mirrors (1 front surface, 1 MirrorBright,1 Plaskolite blue mirror)
•3 lenses ( 1 lens was the “object” in the HOE hologram)
•1 strip of diffraction grating from the Canada Pavilion, Expo 86, Crenshaw water feature project.
•1 mini target card
•1 Hex Key wrench
•3 swivel mounts
•3 optical component holders
CAREER SUMMARY
Melissa Crenshaw has been creating limited edition holographic art since the early 1980’s. Her art works are in private and public international collections. She received two Artist in Residences at the Museum of Holography in New York, one at Fringe Research Facility in Toronto and was a recipient of the New York Shearwater Foundation Award for outstanding work in Art Holography.
Melissa has presented several workshops and lectures on Holography, most notably at the Beijing Institute of Posts and Telecommunications in Beijing PRC, M.I.T. in Boston, several SPIE conferences and International Symposiums on Display Holography (ISDH).
Melissa has designed several optical holography labs. She has worked on fountain lighting projects, created a holographic glass product and light installations. As well, she has curated and designed exhibitions for holography shows in China and the USA. She acted as the Director of The Holographic Studio from 1987 – 1996.
From 1997-2016, Melissa worked in Micro optics and holographic optics Research for Ledalite Architectural Products, which is now part of Philips Electronics, Professional Luminaires North America. The Ledalite team developed a holographic optical material, MesoOptics which won the New Product of the Year Award at LightFair 2001. Several innovative MesoOptics fixtures have been designed and are in mass production.
In 2009 Melissa was the Chair of the Art Forum, Co-Chair of the Art Session and Exhibit Director at the 8th International Symposium on Display Holography (ISDH) in Shenzhen, China and Chair and Exhibit Director in 1988 at Lake Forest, Illinois. She also served as a member of the Art Committee of the 11th ISDH, 2018 in Aveiro, Portugal. She is currently the Archivist for the Rudie Berkhout art collection, working on both the hologram art collection and the studio/lab notes.
Melissa Crenshaw continues to explore the potential of light in all aspects, including the expression of visual ideas and for creating luminous environments.
