ClayObscura: A big DIY pinhole camera provides a real Instagram filter for your phone

In his graduate thesis project, Clay began building large-scale versions of the pinhole camera for a public photo booth experience. These performative objects became a vehicle to teach people about how the cameras worked in person.

He started with the idea of a photo booth, and how to incorporate lens-less pinhole cameras. He then built a series of prototypes, where light would enter through the pinhole in the front of the camera, and you could use your cellular phone to capture the image projected on a screen in the back.

The High Line Park was chosen as the sight for the public experience, because Instagram reported on their blog that the High Line was one of the most photographed locations in the world in 2013. The final Prototype was titled #ClayObscura, and was documented on video.

The #ClayObscura provides a real Instagram filter for people to experience.

Text and video via Clay Kippen