Kingston celebrates its 'father of cinematography'

Mar 9 2010 By Helen Clarke

Pioneer of the moving image Eadweard Muybridge, from Kingston

THE WORK of one of Kingston's most famous former residents is set to be celebrated across the world, alongside a very special exhibition at Kingston Museum, thanks for a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

A pioneer of the moving image and a celebrated landscape photographer, Eadweard Muybridge was born in the town in 1830 and died there in 1904. On his death he bequeathed nearly 3,000 objects to Kingston Museum, providing it with one of the world's most important historic collections of pre-cinema moving image artefacts.

Much of his work was undertaken in the United States, where his stop-motion photography captured for the first time animal and human movement in great detail. This included proof that galloping horses do actually life all four hooves off the ground at once.

His work influenced art, science and photography and he is recognised as one of the founding father of cinematography.

Some of his work will be loaned to form a major exhibition, which will call at the Corcoran Gallery, in Washington, and the Tate Britain. Curator Peta Cook is due to fly some of the items over to America later this month.

One of the most important items in her care will be the zoopraxiscope, which was one of the first ever machines capable of projecting a moving image. It worked by using specially-designed glass picture discs derived from his original photographic sequences. Only 70 of these discs are known to exist in the world, and 67 of them are owned by Kingston Museum.

Kingston will not be without its own Muybridge exhibition. A display of items that have never before been on public display will be launched on September 18, for four months, to tie in with the Tate Britain exhibition.

Ms Cook said: "As Eadweard Muybridge's enduring artistic legacy continues to be a source of inspiration for international artists, scientists and cultural theorists we wish to take this opportunity to put Muybridge, and specifically the Kingston collection, back onto the global stage.

Muybridge was an exciting character whose work never fails to intrigue. He was an innovator, pioneering photographic explorer and entrepreneur who, in many different ways, changed the way his audience viewed the world.

"Forming a significant part of a major development project around the Muybridge material at Kingston, this exhibition represents a pivotal point in the museum's on-going work to secure an exciting future for this world-class collection."