Screen1900 Member: Ludwig Vogl-Bienek

Ludwig Vogl-Bienek has been responsible for the historical art of projection within the research focus Screen1900. Starting with the research project “movii - moving images & interfaces” he was involved in the research of this field at the University of Trier (Department of Media Studies) from 2001-2018. He was Senior Researcher in the Screen1900 research project "The Fundamentals of Digitalisation of Works in the Historical Art of Projection" (2013-2018) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). In two previous Screen1900 research projects, also funded by DFG, from 2005 onwards, he explored the uses of the screen in charity and social care. He initiated the international conference Screen Culture and the Social Question which took place at the German Historical Institute London (GHIL), in December 2011. He published widely on the art of projection in the 19th century, including his dissertation Lichtspiele im Schatten der Armut (2016). With Martin Loiperdinger, he co-curated the dvd Screening the Poor 1888-1914 (2011).

Ludwig finished his university career as senior researcher of the DFG research project "Performative Configurations of the Art of Projection for the Popular Transfer of Knowledge. Media Archaeological Case Studies in the History of Useful Media and the Screen" (2019-2021) at the Institute for Media Studies at the Philipps University of Marburg. Since his retirement in May 2021, he has once again been increasingly involved with performative and experimental projects on the history of the magic lantern, the screen, and the art of projection.

Ludwig is an experienced lanternist and lantern showman. He is a founding member of the illuminago project that performs magic lantern shows internationally (Europe, the US and Canada). With the illuminago ensemble he has produced and performed live shows with the magic lantern, media archaeological experiments and workshops since 1986. His digital lantern lectures link his scholarly research with his artistic approaches to the history of the art of projection: e.g. Sentiment in Storage:Glass Negatives in the Production of Life Model Lantern Slides / Slum Life and Living Conditions of the Poor in Fictional and Documentary Lantern Slide Sets (printed version in Vogl-Bienek and Crangle 2014, 34-63).

Publications

Productions and Live Performances