In the field of creative holography there are people who come from many venues. I came to holography in 1971, as an artist who had worked, in the 60’s, in transparent resins, and large colour, light and sound installations. As an artist, I took the hands-on approach and started small in this revolutionary medium. And it is a revolution! Recording light in space and space itself is a quantum leap from other art media. For me there is always the question, the mystery of what will happen when I explore some new concept. I question the medium itself. Unlike the established art media, the unending possibilities of holography are to be explored! For me there are many ideas to bring to an unknown fruition.
From the beginning I preferred, and worked predominantly in, basic reflection holography. I use the term “basic reflection” (and the Denisyuk process) to delineate a vast difference from the majority of reflection holograms seen; they are predominantly copies of the image, a transform, made from a master transmission hologram and from which any number of copies can be made.
In basic reflection holography each work is unique. It has a wider viewing angle and varied shifting colours. (In the 70’s I used standard gallery spotlights. These made my works easier to install and gave it an accessibility to the public in many venues.) But most important to me, in basic reflection holography there is a more direct, intimate contact between the artist and the outcome. These are the parameters within which I still have many concepts to realise. Quite often I mix media, composing (sometimes a longer process than the holography) with graph paper, water colour, gels, photographs, Polaroids, drawings and words. To differentiate from the many types of holography out there, I sign my artist work with A.H.H. added: “Artist in Hands-on Holography”. There are other artists who could do the same. It is a step in the learning process of differentiation for the viewers and collectors.
The main body of my work is pseudoscopic – an inverted image projected in space – which is very kinetic. This image sets up a distinct learning process in perception. In many of the works I place a point of interest on the surface of the hologram. Focusing on it, the viewer finally realises that the holographic image is floating in space before it; without that focal point the viewer must “touch the image”. This is definitely an “aha!” experience, one which, after many years, still tickles my own visual cortex.
Since having begun using holography in 1971, in my studio, with a 1.5 mW laser, I have worked ceaselessly, upgrading my equipment every few years. The amount of time – over 20 years- and the amount of persistent curiosity, have given me a vast body of diverse work. Its content consists of small – 8 by 10 inches to large 5 by 8 feet, dimensions, and from simple geometric forms and Lumilar (Mylar) for colour, through eggs, cubes, etc., and double exposures, to large indoor and outdoor installations, and sculptures. And there is still so much more to do!
The work displayed, “Question”, was selected for its simplicity of composition and colours. It also included my use of collage (blue/green, 11/2 inches deep virtual image) and graffiti (written on the film plane) and the frame form (orange-red, 2 inches projecting pseudoscopic image).
The biggest problem with pseudoscopic holographic imagery is its difficulty in being translated, by photography, video, etc., to a two-dimensional plane. “You have to see it to believe (in) it”.

From the Creative Holography Index, The International Catalogue for Holography, Volume 1, Issue 1, Monand Press 1992

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