P3D Big let down

["David W. Kesner" <drdave@xxxxxxxxxx>]

While perusing through our local alternative press newspaper I 
came upon an article titled "Ghost Stories - A Public-Art Project 
and Visions of Boise's Chinatown". The article was written By Anna 
Webb for The Boise Weekly.
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With his proposed public-art project, Historical Sight: Boise 
Chinatown, Boise architect Dwaine Carver wants to emphasize that 
for a hundred years, before the urban renewal wrecking ball swung 
through downtown in the early '70s, Boise had a fully intact, fully 
vital, fully urban Chinese-American community.

Carver's project proposes the positioning of six public "site-seeing" 
binoculars - like those you might find atop the Empire State 
Building - around downtown Boise. Each set of binoculars will be 
converted to stereoscopic devices and fitted with historical 
photographs of Chinatown. Carver wants the stereoscopes to pull 
viewers into startlingly tactile, 3-D images of the past.

Intriguingly - and sure to inspire feelings of historical vertigo - each 
set of binoculars will be located at the exact point of view as the 
historical photograph. For instance, one set will be located directly 
outside Goldy's Restaurant, which was the Bamboo Gardens in a 
former incarnation (1932-1962). Aimed at the exterior of the 
building, and with seemingly X-ray power, the binoculars will reveal 
the Bamboo Garden's interior: a long row of chairs at the bar, vrisp 
white tablecloths, and an unidentified woman standing behind the 
counter..........

He received a Cultural Contract from the Boise City Arts 
Commission to fund the research for the Chinatown project. For the 
funding of teh actual project, he's applying for a Boise City "Lasting 
Legacy" grant intended for works that will "inform and enlighten the 
people of Boise of their heritage long after the end of the century," 
as well as funds from the Idaho Humanities Council.........
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I immediately called Dwaine Carver and introduced myself as an 
avid stereophotographer and asked if he would be willing to meet 
with me a discuss his project. He seemed very interested, but said 
he was extemely busy right now. He asked if I would send him my 
business card and contact information so he could set up a 
meeting.

Before I let him go I had to ask about his supply of historic Boise, 
Idaho Chinatown stereoviews. I have been looking for stereoviews 
of Idaho ever since I became interested in stereo, but have not 
been able to find a single one (no I have not searched that hard). All 
the dealers that I have asked at NSA Conventions have told me the 
same thing - they don't have any and have not heard of any except 
some from the Sun Valley Resort, and maybe an isolated train or 
logging view.

It turns out Dwaine doesn't have any either! What he is proposing is 
taking two identical prints and placing them in this "stereoscopic - 
binocular" viewing device to give the impression of stereo. Before I 
could get any more information out of him he had to go.

I will be following up on this to see if there is anyway I can help. One 
of the things I would like to do is be able to direct him to someone 
that could make 2D to 3D conversions from the flat historical 
photographs that he intends to use - can anyone help me there? 
Obviously the best thing would be for someone out there to tell me 
there ARE stereoviews of the historic Boise Chinatown????

That's all for now,

David W. Kesner
Boise, Idaho, USA
drdave@xxxxxxxxxx


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