This weekend I visited a delightful art installation beneath the Brooklyn Bridge called the
Telectroscope. It's a giant steampunk "machine" ostensibly using a series of optics (or is it fiber optics?) to link New York and London. You can stand in front of the lens and wave to people across the pond. You can send a short message using a whiteboard.
When I was there, a girl had arranged to meet up with her boyfriend who was in London. It was pretty neat that they could see each other.
The art project is the work of Paul St. George and brought to life by Artichoke who also created the 42-ton
Sultan's Elephant, a ginormous sculpture and theater project that they had lumber down the streets of London and around the world. Mr. St. George claims that there is an actual tunnel and the images are conveyed via a long series of mirrors. He's concocted an elaborate Victorian history for his creation.
The term telectroscope does date from the Victorian period and it did refer to either fictional or seriously proposed long-distance optical devices or television-like devices that were never realized.....until now!
While the unimaginative will claim this is just an oversized webcam and frankly old technology, this unexpected window onto another slice of the world and even limited access and interaction with distant strangers is strangely exciting and satisfying.
If you're near the Brooklyn Bridge or Tower Bridge in the next few weeks, definitely check it out - it's up until June 15.