'Als die Bilder laufen lernten' (When the pictures learned to move) is an assemblage artwork that visualizes this phrase using a 80-years-old film projector and antique roller skates.

'Als die Bilder laufen lernten' originates from film history and refers to the birth of cinema — the time when still images were first brought to life through technology. It is often used poetically or nostalgically to describe the pioneering era of film in the late 19th century.

The film projector Piccolo has been built in the 1940s by Noris Projektion GmbH in Nuremberg / Germany. It was specially made for Ozaphan films, which, unlikely Celluloid, were flame retardant and therefore suitable for children. They had to operate the film by hand with a crank.
I used an old children’s film as a substrate for an LED stripe that I glued on both sides of the filmstrip. More infos on Noris can be found on filmkorn, a german site about Cine film.

Instead of the projection lens, I installed an E14 Bakelite socket and used a flicker glow bulb that represents the flickering of a film projector.

A perfect base for my object is an 80-year-old Hudora roller skate with cast iron wheels. The original leather strap that you used to strap the roller skate to your own shoes now ties up the Piccolo projector.

Materials:

• Film projector 'Piccolo' by Noris Projection GmbH, Nuremberg from the 1940s
• Roller skates by Hudora, 1945-1950
• LED stripe
• LED illumination
• Flame glow bulb
• Bakelite socket
• Textile power cord, power switch, Bakelite power plug