kaleidoscope review v1n1.pdf

7/29/2019 Kaleidoscope Review V1N1.pdf

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The New Kaleidoscope Review 1

KALEIDOSCOPE

REVIEWVolume 1, Issue 1

Copyright 1999, 2013 B. Bensley, Bensley Enterprises


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Welcome to The NewKaleidoscope Review!By Brett Bensley, EditorBensley Enterprises

It is such a good idea, it shouldnt be left undone.I have heard this over and over again. That is

what this new version of The New Kaleidoscope

Review is all about: not leaving it undone.

History Repeats Itself.

The original Kaleidoscope Review started in

1999. It was intended to be a magazine

dedicated to information about kaleidoscope and

kaleidoscope making. Costs were involved in

producing it at that time, and thus a fee was

charged. The current technology allows thosecosts to be reduced substantially, so you will

note this magazine is free. Yes, free. There will

be no advertisements. Well, not blatant ones.

Each artist, or retail establishment wants to

promote their product, or this magazine wouldnt

exist.

I do allow people to share this as freely as they

wish, and they may charge to put this in printed

form, as the paper and ink costs something. I

have no problem with this. Some may even

charge to mail it to others. I have no problemwith this either. Just dont go overboard.

We want your input!

This is to be a magazine for the readers and by

the readers. Please help us make this dream come

true by submitting information, pictures and

articles to me at [email protected] snail

mail it to TNKR c/o Brett Bensley, 306 W.

Pierce Ave., Charleston, IL 61920.

All material submitted must be your original

work or must have written permission of the

original author/artist to be included. I should

also be granted written permission to include it

in this magazine.

Thank you for your help!

Cover picture: Gerald Bonsacks back yard.

Gerald Bonsacks Brass kaleidoscope.

Christmas Lights Through Teleidoscope
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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My Love of Kaleidoscopes -Teleidoscopes too!

By: Gerald A. Bonsack

I guess my love of kaleidoscopes comes as a child,

as where else can one look into a cardboard tube,

with mirrors and colored bits and pieces and see anever changing pattern. I cant remember when I got

my first kaleidoscope but I know I wore it out by

shaking and turning it until the clear end piece was

frosted from the scratches.

This passion for scopes became even more intense

as I grew older. In the late sixties I was working in

a local night spot, while going to school and with

the ever changing bands and their lights, I got

hooked on building color organ light panels (light

boxes where the different colored lights are drivenby the frequency and intensity of the music,

creating a dancing wall of light). Now by placing

diffusion panels in front of the light sources, I took

the points of lights and created squares of various

sizes, based on the distance from the diffusion sheet

to the light bulb. WOW! Music and synchronized

dancing lights just think what a kaleidoscope

mirror system would do with that.

Also at that time I was playing around with idea of

projecting the colorful patterns seen in akaleidoscope, onto the wall. After a few tries I

managed to construct a projector, complete with a

drive motor and re-focusing lenses, which projected

a six foot mandala. Today all one has to do is down

load an app and connect the computer to the large

screen television and hit play. This unit was used

nightly at the night spot, until I removed it for lack

of payment. The projector and my proto-type color

organ light panel sat collection dust for several

years, as the family and work took precedent.

In the late Eighties, I got my first camcorder and

with my love of kaleidoscopes, along with

fireworks, I start to engineer my first teleidoscope

(kaleidoscope / telescope combined), with the idea

of videotaping the Fourth of July fireworks. After

eight attempts and many months later, try number

nine took the real world and placed imagery at

Continued on page 4

This passion for scopesbecame even more

intense as I grew older.

The image of the object before the teleidoscope lens is used.

The chopper above through teleidoscope lens


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the correct location where the kaleidoscope

object cell would have set. That unit weighed in

at nine pounds, between the thick mirrors I had

and the large diameter optical elements required

to focus the world. I still have the optical frame I

built, to fine tune the lens placement and

remember switching one lens element withanother and sliding the lens elements back and

forth until I was happy with the viewed

kaleidoscopic image. Now add in the weight of

the old camcorder and one needed a massive

tripod and frame to do any videotaping or

photography.

Since that time, that monster teleidoscope has

attended many regional photography club

conventions, photography workshops,

kaleidoscope artists and collector gatherings andtraveled to dozens of States, while on vacation

with me. Regardless of where it was, someone

would always ask me, Whats that? and thenask if they could take a photograph or shoot

some video footage too. At the local Clown

Camp, even a television production crew from

Japan got in line for footage. That lens was so

popular at photographic events; even I would

have to stand in line to use it.

Years later, I had a liquid filled kaleidoscopestart leaking, so I pulled the liquid cell off of the

scope and dug out my box of old scrap lenses.

Since I had engineered the optics location before,

I had the lens holder designed and made by a

local tool and die shop in no time and slid it over

the end of the old kaleidoscope tube. This

smaller teleidoscope made the walk through the

Christmas light display one to remember and

again people were asking, Whats that? Sincethat scope was small, it wouldnt pair up with my

35 mm SLR and the small point and shootdigital camera I had at that time.

As time went by, the small point and shoot

digital cameras improved and webcams came

into being, so I decided to build a slightly larger

teleidoscope model that would work with those

cameras, so anyone can capture the world

Continued from page 3

Cars photographed through the teleidoscope.

Continued to page 7


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The images created

are wonderful to

behold as can be

demonstrated by

these images of the

clowns. In the

picture to the left,you can see how a

normal camera can

be used with the

lens (on the tripod).


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The farm equipmentand the ground it sets

on make a fantastic

subject of interest

and color in the

teleidoscope lens.

As mentioned in

Geralds article, it

isnt limited tostationary objects.

With a video camera,

it takes exciting

images of moving

objects.


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kaleidoscopically. Imagine you pull into a town

out west and there on the side of the building is

this massive Indian blanket artwork - grab your

teleidoscope and camera and have full. At an old

car rally, with lots of chrome - grab your

teleidoscope and camera and have full. Out for

your morning walk downtown, with lots of

shadows - grab your teleidoscope and camera

and have fun.

The idea of having a teleidoscope to play with

makes one think in patterns and reflections.

Think of cleaning up after a good party, leftover

pizza, cans, wrappers, ribbons and bows and

whatever, grab your teleidoscope and camera and

have fun, as the mess is now beautiful. Also with

a teleidoscope in hand, ones imagination can

run wild, just thinking of things to create and

photograph.

I have gone back in time and re-constructed my

color organ circuit and now use it to drive a six

foot by seven foot light wall, with four hundred

miniature Christmas tree lights (100 per color).

Once I have the music scored, I fire up the color

organ and select one of my teleidoscopes and hit

play and start videotaping. To view a sample

video, go to YouTube and type in my name:

Gerald Bonsack. For still imagery remember

seeing the rainbow colors in soap bubbles, well

many blow molded and injection molded clear

plastic parts will show the same color effect

(birefringence), when subjected to polarized

light, but more on that next time.

Gerald A. Bonsack

Continued from page 4

Fireworks

through the

teleidoscope

lens of Gerald

Bonsack!

Video of

kaleidoscopic

fireworks is a

specialty of

Mr. Bonsack.Birefringement image of sundae dish.


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Gerald Bonsacks new teleidoscope. Read more of this interesting art form inside!

kaleidoscope review v1n1.pdf

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