Boston has some great treasures on show right now and the amazing Light Space Modulator by László Moholy-Nagy is a must. The piece has been part of the permanent collection at Harvard’s Busch-Reisinger since 1956 but due to the fragility of the original the museum has acquired a full-size replica, produced in 2006, which is being showcased as part of the exhibit Light Display Machines: Two Works by László Moholy-Nagy. The replica Modulator has been installed in a darkened gallery so we can experience the shadow, reflection, and light patterns created by its mechanical choreograph. Alongside is Light Play: Black White Gray a film produced from images created by the machine. It can be viewed here.

Moholy-Nagy spent over 10 years working on the piece and said that he believed in magic as a result of being transfixed and entranced by the light modulations and permutations from his machine. Unfortunately also he became equally depressed by the public’s lack of interest in the piece - they preferred his films of the machine instead.

While I was at the museum I did manage to sneak in a short video of the replica device in operation, as well as pictures of the original, before I was politely reminded that no cameras were allowed into the space. Sometime soon expect an upload of the video – in the meantime you can view HC Gilje’s video of another working replica at the Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven, Holland.