Ooooh!

Wednesday, October 23 - 12:00 AM – Museu del Cinema

Francesc Dalmau and the art of optical illusions (1839-1878)

Francesc Dalmau was the first modern optician in Catalonia, protagonist, among others, of the arrival of the telephone and the phonograph in Spain. If the history of science has reserved a prominent role for him due to his prominence in the second Industrial Revolution, this exhibition aims to recover a less known facet but of equal notoriety in his time, that of the first Catalan optician: entering Dalmau's store meant discover a whole universe of optical spectacles that were revolutionizing the way of seeing and representing the world half a century before the arrival of cinema. Its showcase thus became an indispensable meeting point for science and art lovers who wanted to see first-hand the latest developments in the field of optical illusions, from the popular optical views to the lively phantasmagorias, all passed through the first 3D images. This exhibition is a tribute to the figure who modeled and expanded the visual universe in which our 19th century ancestors were immersed.