Whangarei’s camera obscura hits the target!

The Whangarei camera obscura team have done it! Their crowdfunding efforts to raise $25,000 came to fruition on November 23. The trio behind the camera obscura are photographer Diane Stoppard, sculptor Trish Clarke, and architect Felicity Christian, and their concept is an eight-metre interactive steel sculpture reflecting Whangarei’s waka history, which will house a camera obscura. The camera obscura will be situated looking towards Whangare’s Te Matau ā Pohe Bascule Bridge, and will utilize CCTV technology to connect the camera obscura experience to the worldwide web, so a global audience can also experience the view.

If the Pledge Me fundraiser had not met its target, the team wouldn’t have been able to have kept any of the money, but now that the $25,000 is secured, they’re pushing for the photographic community to help get them towards $50,000.

 It’s not just all about gaining extra funds now, though. Stoppard says there’s value in supporter numbers, not just monetary donations.

“What I have realized is that the number of people who pledge has great value to us — when we apply to the big funders we want to be able to say 300-plus members of the community got behind the project,” Stoppard says.

Check out the video that the team have put together about the project, and if you’re keen to get involved, head on over to the Pledge Me page, which will only be open to donations until 10pm on December 9, 2016. 

Here’s a bit of an indication, using a pure-glass sphere, of how the camera obscura will work when it’s constructed.