The Camera Obscura Edinburgh and World of Illusions is one of the city's top attractions. Spread over six floors, there are interactive, mind-bending, warped experiences that make you look at the world from a totally new perspective. For any Scottish-based friends and family or even someone planning a trip to Scotland in the New Year, a voucher for the museum could make an excellent present.
Not everyone is organized enough to start buying Christmas presents in September so if you're anything like me and you leave things last minute, vouchers are great gift alternative. Gift experiences last a lifetime and The Camera Obscura Edinburgh provides hours of fun for all ages. But what is a camera obscura?
In its simplest form, a camera obscura is a dark room with a small hole in one wall that allows light to pass through, projecting an upside-down image onto the opposite side. It was invented in the second half of the 16th Century, although conceptual descriptions can be found in Chinese texts from 400 BC.
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The camera obscura Edinburgh has a fascinating history that dates back to 1835, when Maria Short opened the Popular Observatory on Calton Hill. This exciting attraction brought moving images to Edinburgh a whole half a century before cinema was invented, and was a marvel for visitors.
By 1849 pressure from the council forced Maria to close the attraction, but undeterred she relocated once more to a 17th Century building on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. After her death, the building was purchased along with the camera obscura by the Scottish scientist and philanthropist, Patrick Geddes. He renamed the attraction The Outlook Tower and encouraged locals to visit in order to expand their world view.
Today, the camera obscura Edinburgh still stands in the same place, although it’s had some tweaks since its early days, and now offers a 360° view of the city thanks to some cleverly placed mirrors. Of course, this is an attraction that only really works when it’s bright outside – so if you’re planning a visit to The Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, make sure you go before it gets dark!
There are lots of camera obscuras still in operation all over the world, including The Observatory and Camera Obscura in Bristol, UK, Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky in North Carolina, USA, The Alcazar of Jerez De La Frontera Camera Obscura in Spain, and the largest is situated on a clifftop in the Welsh coastal town of Aberystwyth.
If you fancy more of a challenge you could also have a go at making one yourself! It’s easy enough to do and there are YouTube videos with detailed instructions, or you could use the BonfotonUP device – but doing it yourself is a lot more fun and a lot cheaper.
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