Moving Image

Moving images are defined by, as the term suggests, an image that gives the appearance of movement.

The first glimpse of the moving image originated with the camera obscura, an optical experience, where by light passed through a small hole - naturally projecting an upside-down image in a room of the view outside. Optical aids such as the Phenakistoscope in 1833 provided an illusion of movement, in essence an initial form of animation.

The pioneering work of photographer Eadweard Muybridge in 1878 advanced photographic studies of motion, as he strove to freeze time to allow the human eye to observe the rapid movements of a horse’s gait.

The kinetoscope was an early motion picture device invented in 1888. One person at a time would peer through a peephole to view films which were loops of images that mimicked motion. This device paved the way for the evolving world of moving images from silent movies to motion pictures that synchronised movement and sound, and then the capacity to project these films into cinemas to large audiences. The invention of television in 1927 created similar social opportunities, this time at home for friends and family members.

In the 1960s, performance art became a means for artists to create work, and while video was a great way to capture ephemeral performances, the video camera itself also became a medium with which artists could make works of art. Some artists like Yoko Ono, Bill Viola and Robert Wilson, blur the line between still photography and the moving image. At times these artists depict palpable stillness using video, with gradual and subtle movement only evident when the viewer takes time to look for longer.

However, the invention of the internet in the second half of the twentieth century made moving images available to anyone, anywhere in the world. The accessibility and affordability of video platforms online has enabled anyone with access to a video or camera to upload and share content.