Report of the nations: Belgium
Belgium is probably the most productive holographic nation, insofar the production of silver halide material is concerned, and silver halide is still the workhorse for a very large number of holographic applications, both in display and technical fields.
Holographic Portraiture of Humans, Plants and Ghosts in Belgium
The author describes his efforts to bring holography and its artistic applications out of the realm of mystery or curiosity. Three areas of the author’s involvement are treated: first, how holographic portraits were successfully made in situ during a convention (it is believed that this was a world’s first); second, how holograms of simple vegetal objects, viewable under normal lighting conditions, are being used to bring holography to a larger audience; finally, how collaboration between technicians and artists can lead to results that are satisfying and enriching for both parties.
Shoeless Joe: Fantasy and the Humor of Fellow-Feeling
In his essay on Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, Thomas Carlyle writes of a humor that manifests itself in smile rather than laughter. "Richter is a man of mirth," says Carlyle, whose humor is "capricious . . . quaint . . . [and] heartfelt" (15). The three adjectives represent for Carlyle the essence of what he terms "true humor" because they suggest Richter's enormous respect for humanity. "True humor," he goes on to say, "springs not more from the head than from the heart; it is not contempt, its essence is love; it issues not in laughter, but in still smiles, which lie far deeper" (17). These smiles are not Hobbesian smirks of superiority1 but genuine signs of compassion for, sympathy toward, and empathy with the object of the humor. Carlyle further provides a direct link between humor and both pathos and nobility; the link is the smile of the caring man. For Carlyle, this smile is one of "fellow-feeling":