Obscura Legacies is a project dedicated to celebrating, documenting, and mapping Camera Obscuras across the UK - past and present, permanent and temporary, fixed and mobile.
Inspired by the work of Cornwall-based Camera Obscura enthusiast Derek Swindley, the project brings together research, storytelling, and mapping to ensure these remarkable optical instruments - and the people behind them - are not forgotten.
Support our crowdfunder
What is Obscura Legacies?
Obscura Legacies will document previously undocumented Camera Obscuras, with a special focus on mobile and travelling cameras - those designed to move from place to place, engaging diverse communities and audiences.
Alongside this research, we will develop the Obscura Legacies website as a publicly accessible resource celebrating Camera Obscuras across the UK. The site will bring together information on:
- Publicly accessible Camera Obscuras
- Privately owned and hireable cameras
- Dormant or unused Camera Obscuras seeking new custodians
- Temporary and pop-up projects
- Historic Victorian-era Camera Obscuras
Artists, builders, owners, and organisations will be invited to contribute, creating a living, collaborative archive.
Why Camera Obscuras Matter
Camera Obscuras deserve to be celebrated.
Even in an age dominated by digital screens, encountering a Camera Obscura is a moment of genuine wonder. Its elegant simplicity reveals the fundamentals of optics in a way that is instinctive and unforgettable - a quiet, almost subliminal lesson in physics.
They are also powerful tools for storytelling. Every Camera Obscura carries a history of: place, invention, and the people who built and encountered them. Imagining the reactions of Victorian audiences - long before colour cinema or television - is a spine-tingling reminder of how transformative these experiences once were.
Camera Obscuras also offer a unique way of seeing landscape and place. They literally reframe the world around us, inviting reflection on geography, local history, and how environments have changed - and might change again.
Derek Swindley and His Legacy
Derek Swindley was a self-taught expert in optics and photography, combining deep technical knowledge with remarkable mechanical ingenuity. In the 1980s, he built what is believed to be the UK’s first mobile Camera Obscura, housed in a caravan.
Derek’s Caravan Camera Obscura delighted audiences across Devon and Cornwall, including appearances such as at A Victorian Weekend at Port Eliot Estate in August 1984.
His generosity and expertise went on to support many other mobile Camera Obscura projects. Derek loaned or donated lenses that helped bring new cameras into existence, inspiring artists and organisations for decades. Although Derek passed away in 2012, he left behind a rich archive of material from his creative life.
Obscura Legacies aims to honour Derek’s work by documenting his projects and continuing his passion for sharing knowledge - ensuring Camera Obscuras remain accessible, understood, and celebrated.
Publications
A series of publications is planned as part of the project.
The first book, Derek Swindley and his Camera Obscuras, has recently been published by Fotonow CIC. Future publications will explore the Camera Obscuras Derek inspired and supported, how they were built, and the artistic, social, and community projects they have generated over the past 20 years.
What Will the Project Fund?
Your support will help fund:
- Design and preparation of future Obscura Legacies publications
- The hosting, maintenance and development of the Obscura Legacies website
- Research and digitisation of material from Derek Swindley’s archive
By supporting this project, you are helping to preserve a unique strand of cultural, scientific, and artistic heritage — and ensuring that the magic of Camera Obscuras continues to inspire future generations.