Art in Holography 2 took place at the University of Nottingham,
in the heart of England, during September 1996. It provided a
public platform for artists, art collectors and art writers to
discuss some of the key issues relevant to creative holography.
It was a review, assessment and renaissance for a medium which
had clearly matured.
This was an unusual mix of professionals: Artists active in creative
holography presented their work, ideas, concepts, passions, obsessions
and practical concerns. 
They
included the pioneers who have been extending holography's boundaries
for almost 30 years; younger artists who have been embracing
the medium for 10 or 15 years, some had moved onto other media,
others were just starting. Their views were complemented bye,
and contrasted with, those of the art writers and critics who
observe holography from a broader background of contemporary
visual art. And the collectors were part of this discussion,
too, representing private and public galleries and museums. These
were the people who are buying holography and we had a chance
to find out why - what drove them to collect something so 'uncertain'?
Art in Holography2 did not spring out of the blue, it grew. It
began, before anyone knew it might happen, at St. Mary's College,
Indiana, six years earlier. Doug Tyler, who organised and chaired
that first, experimental, meeting writes
more about it on this site. The wealth of experience from
that first meeting helped shape and focus the second. 
As co-chair, in Nottingham, Doug provided the much needed practical,
organisational and philosophical continuity. With it we were
able to build and select, to construct a platform from which
we could exchange experiences, assess our progress and postulate
on the futures which might be available to us. Art in Holography
2 could not have been relevant without drawing on the immense
amount of knowledge which came from the first experiment. That
sense of continuity is paramount in a medium which continues
to see itself 'apart' from the rest, isolated by the cleverness
of its presentation and the resulting insecurity of its exponents.
The speakers who were invited to Nottingham, the topics they were asked to discuss, and the events which took place during the 4-day meeting were developed by a team. This group of dedicated professionals whose opinions I respect and who were confident enough to criticise, were not simply well known names on a letterhead - but worked exceptionally hard to shape and guide the intense gathering which resulted.
In thinking about how best to document Art in Holography2, we wanted something which reflected the spirit of the meeting - the professionalism of the speakers, the generosity of the delegates, and the sense of progression and maturity we experienced there. We wanted to focus on the art and the opinions, as well as the individuals who help shape the medium. What resulted are two publications: this web site (which will be updated as new material becomes available), and ink on paper, in the form of a Postcard Collection which was distributed, to art and media professionals world-wide
Hopefully this collection of images and statements (digital and ink), not only gives some indication of the diversity and quality of work in the field, but the comments, from those who spoke in Nottingham, will help to define a collective 'view' of the medium at the end of the Twentieth Century.
Andrew Pepper
Symposium Director and Chair
Introduction | Sessions | Speakers | Exhibition | Resources | Awards | Organisers | Sponsors | Home