Obovaal | 2021

Obovaal is a sculptural work that works according to the principle of a camera obscura. It is a memorial to the painter Caspar van Wittel, who used the camera obscura during the production of his paintings.

The nickname of the 17th century painter Caspar van Wittel was "Gaspare degli Occhiali", Caspar with the glasses. He owes this nickname to his unmistakable eye for detail with which he registered his surroundings. The camera obscura played an important role, as Van Wittel used it as an instrument to frame and highlight elements of cityscapes during painting.

To celebrate Van Wittel's legacy, Obovaal gives the viewer an insight into his working method. The sculpture is a life-size camera obscura pointed at the Koppelpoort in Van Wittel's birthplace Amersfoort. By displaying a live representation of reality upside down, the illusion of a living painting is created. The picture shown will never be the same again because reality is constantly changing.

Placed at Museum Flehite, Amersfoort NL
Production by Anything is Possible
Photography by Passian Smit