Congratulations on your purchase of the "Meeting". You have one of the original first editions, it was made directly as a Shadowgram and is one of the pivotal pieces representing the technique, which I developed following a discussion with Steve Benton, in which he directed me to a short article published by Dr. Dewy Redman, titled "Silhouette Holography", in The Journal of Optical Physics.
Others had noticed the shadow effect, but I believe I was the first to develop the camera using a ground glass field to light the object, as well as applying it to reflection holography.
The first piece was sold to the Museum of Holography, and Posy Jackson also bought one for her private collection.
Mathias Lauk in Germany, bought much of the remaining editions, and I believe the one that you have was sold to Light Fantastic when Peter Woodd was there, he wanted to contract an additional edition for Light Fantastic, but sadly, when he couldn't get his price, decided to produce "Hammer and Nail" on his own, I guess the "Meeting" inspired him.
There have been quite a few others that have incorporated the concept in their work, and I have taught how to do it to others, although in hindsight the technique is self evident. However, the "Meeting" still remains, as the first hologram to demonstrate how the "real image", can be juxtaposed with the actual object.
You are in good company, as the "Meeting" has been displayed in just about every major holography exhibition, since 1979. I believe this numbers into the hundreds.
In addition, pieces are in major collections throughout the world including:
The Warsteiner Collection - Albert Cramer, the Warsteiner beer baron.
The Art Collection of the Government of Canada
The BMW Collection
The Diane Von Furstenburg Collection
The Dada exhibit at the Danish Museum Art at Arrhaus
The MIT collection of Holography
The Rosmary Jackson Collection
...and many other noteworthy collections. Mathias Lauk has also placed the piece within prominent collections, as well.
The work has been featured in many magazine articles about Holography throughout the 80's, as well as appearing in the London tube, on a rather large poster advertising the "Ripleys Believe it or Not" Collection. I think that might be the first for any hologram.
Each edition piece was hand crafted by me, as there was no master. I believed correctly at the time, that it would bring more value to the individual pieces. They are plated on Agfa 8E75 8X10 glass plates, bleached in Bromine, with the emulsion sprayed with Matte Black Krylon and developed using Kodak materials. They were produced at the Brown University holography research facility, as I was a Visiting Lecturer in Physics there at the time.
