The ‘Pepper’s Ghost’ illusion, where phantoms apparently appear on stage and people metamorphose into gorillas, delighted 19th century audiences. This new and intriguing theatrical tool later lost popularity as new technologies took over. However, the 21st century has given it an unexpected resurgence as developments in high definition projectors, and new materials to replace glass, have allowed the illusion of people and objects on stage to reach a new level of reality. In 2006, this trick was used to fool millions of people in the live and TV audience at the Grammys into believing that Madonna was on stage interacting with the virtual band ‘Gorillaz’, when in fact both acts were simply holographic projections of previously recorded digital videos. In my presentation, I will describe how my practice, by experimenting with such holographic technology, produces work that investigates how and why we see what we do, and the role illusions can play in helping to understand perception. In this context, I have been working with an iconic 19th century institution, London Zoo, and plan to site work made through this technology at the Zoo. In this work, I will be collaborating with zoologists around the country to create immersive environments demonstrating how various animals see. Drawing on 19th century science, this work will also engage with contemporary theories, and question what kind of perspective this gives us on animals and our relation to them. As part of the work, I hope to invoke this institution’s past by creating life size virtual elephants to inhabit the original 1960s Elephant house. The work thus also reflects upon the Zoo as an archival institution, as filming the animals for the project will build up a virtual catalogue of species that are disappearing in reality.

Madi Boyd studied at the Slade (BA), and Edinburgh (MA). Her work involves constructing large scale installations comprising of built environments fused with digital projections. Currently, she is collaborating with scientists at UCL to create work which exists as both art and science. The immersive spaces they have produced, investigate ambiguity in perception, making the viewer more aware of themselves seeing. This work was presented at The Slade research Centre in September 2009, will be shown as part of the Norfolk and Norwich festival in May 2010, and an installation is planned for the Science Museum later in the year. The project is funded by The Wellcome Trust and The Arts Council. Madi also works with 3D holographic projections, and made a film, using this technology, about the recent disappearance of bees which won an award in 2009. She was selected to exhibit at Kinetica Art Fair in 2010, The Cut Arts Centre in 2009, The Launch of the Cultural Olympiad and the Launch of the Cube Car at Nissan Design in 2008, The London Group Show at the Menier Gallery in 2007.