KALEIDOSCOPE REVIEW

Volume 1, Issue 1

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Copyright 1999, 2013 B. Bensley, Bensley Enterprises

Welcome to The New Kaleidoscope Review!

By Brett Bensley, Editor Bensley Enterprises It is such a good idea, it shouldnt be left undone. I have heard this over and over again. That is what this new version of The New Kaleidoscope Review is all about: not leaving it undone. History Repeats Itself. The original Kaleidoscope Review started in 1999. It was intended to be a magazine dedicated to information about kaleidoscope and kaleidoscope making. Costs were involved in producing it at that time, and thus a fee was charged. The current technology allows those costs to be reduced substantially, so you will note this magazine is free. Yes, free. There will be no advertisements. Well, not blatant ones. Each artist, or retail establishment wants to promote their product, or this magazine wouldnt exist. I do allow people to share this as freely as they wish, and they may charge to put this in printed form, as the paper and ink costs something. I have no problem with this. Some may even charge to mail it to others. I have no problem with this either. Just dont go overboard. We want your input! This is to be a magazine for the readers and by the readers. Please help us make this dream come true by submitting information, pictures and articles to me at bdbensley@gmail.com or snail mail it to TNKR c/o Brett Bensley, 306 W. Pierce Ave., Charleston, IL 61920. All material submitted must be your original work or must have written permission of the original author/artist to be included. I should also be granted written permission to include it in this magazine. Thank you for your help! Cover picture: Gerald Bonsacks back yard.
Christmas Lights Through Teleidoscope
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Gerald Bonsacks Brass kaleidoscope.

My Love of Kaleidoscopes Teleidoscopes too!

By: Gerald A. Bonsack

I guess my love of kaleidoscopes comes as a child, as where else can one look into a cardboard tube, with mirrors and colored bits and pieces and see an ever changing pattern. I cant remember when I got my first kaleidoscope but I know I wore it out by shaking and turning it until the clear end piece was frosted from the scratches.
The image of the object before the teleidoscope lens is used.

This passion for scopes became even more intense as I grew older.

This passion for scopes became even more intense as I grew older. In the late sixties I was working in a local night spot, while going to school and with the ever changing bands and their lights, I got hooked on building color organ light panels (light boxes where the different colored lights are driven by the frequency and intensity of the music, creating a dancing wall of light). Now by placing diffusion panels in front of the light sources, I took the points of lights and created squares of various sizes, based on the distance from the diffusion sheet to the light bulb. WOW! Music and synchronized dancing lights just think what a kaleidoscope mirror system would do with that. Also at that time I was playing around with idea of projecting the colorful patterns seen in a kaleidoscope, onto the wall. After a few tries I managed to construct a projector, complete with a drive motor and re-focusing lenses, which projected a six foot mandala. Today all one has to do is down load an app and connect the computer to the large screen television and hit play. This unit was used nightly at the night spot, until I removed it for lack of payment. The projector and my proto-type color organ light panel sat collection dust for several years, as the family and work took precedent. In the late Eighties, I got my first camcorder and with my love of kaleidoscopes, along with fireworks, I start to engineer my first teleidoscope (kaleidoscope / telescope combined), with the idea of videotaping the Fourth of July fireworks. After eight attempts and many months later, try number nine took the real world and placed imagery at

The chopper above through teleidoscope lens

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the correct location where the kaleidoscope object cell would have set. That unit weighed in at nine pounds, between the thick mirrors I had and the large diameter optical elements required to focus the world. I still have the optical frame I built, to fine tune the lens placement and remember switching one lens element with another and sliding the lens elements back and forth until I was happy with the viewed kaleidoscopic image. Now add in the weight of the old camcorder and one needed a massive tripod and frame to do any videotaping or photography. Since that time, that monster teleidoscope has attended many regional photography club conventions, photography workshops, kaleidoscope artists and collector gatherings and traveled to dozens of States, while on vacation with me. Regardless of where it was, someone would always ask me, Whats that? and then ask if they could take a photograph or shoot some video footage too. At the local Clown Camp, even a television production crew from Japan got in line for footage. That lens was so popular at photographic events; even I would have to stand in line to use it. Years later, I had a liquid filled kaleidoscope start leaking, so I pulled the liquid cell off of the scope and dug out my box of old scrap lenses. Since I had engineered the optics location before, I had the lens holder designed and made by a local tool and die shop in no time and slid it over the end of the old kaleidoscope tube. This smaller teleidoscope made the walk through the Christmas light display one to remember and again people were asking, Whats that? Since that scope was small, it wouldnt pair up with my 35 mm SLR and the small point and shoot digital camera I had at that time. As time went by, the small point and shoot digital cameras improved and webcams came into being, so I decided to build a slightly larger teleidoscope model that would work with those cameras, so anyone can capture the world
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Cars photographed through the teleidoscope.

The images created are wonderful to behold as can be demonstrated by these images of the clowns. In the picture to the left, you can see how a normal camera can be used with the lens (on the tripod).

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The farm equipment and the ground it sets on make a fantastic subject of interest and color in the teleidoscope lens. As mentioned in Geralds article, it isnt limited to stationary objects. With a video camera, it takes exciting images of moving objects.
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kaleidoscopically. Imagine you pull into a town out west and there on the side of the building is this massive Indian blanket artwork - grab your teleidoscope and camera and have full. At an old car rally, with lots of chrome - grab your teleidoscope and camera and have full. Out for your morning walk downtown, with lots of shadows - grab your teleidoscope and camera and have fun. The idea of having a teleidoscope to play with makes one think in patterns and reflections. Think of cleaning up after a good party, leftover pizza, cans, wrappers, ribbons and bows and whatever, grab your teleidoscope and camera and have fun, as the mess is now beautiful. Also with a teleidoscope in hand, ones imagination can run wild, just thinking of things to create and photograph. I have gone back in time and re-constructed my color organ circuit and now use it to drive a six foot by seven foot light wall, with four hundred miniature Christmas tree lights (100 per color). Once I have the music scored, I fire up the color organ and select one of my teleidoscopes and hit play and start videotaping. To view a sample video, go to YouTube and type in my name: Gerald Bonsack. For still imagery remember seeing the rainbow colors in soap bubbles, well many blow molded and injection molded clear plastic parts will show the same color effect (birefringence), when subjected to polarized light, but more on that next time. Gerald A. Bonsack

Fireworks through the teleidoscope lens of Gerald Bonsack! Video of kaleidoscopic fireworks is a specialty of Mr. Bonsack.

Birefringement image of sundae dish.

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Gerald Bonsacks new teleidoscope. Read more of this interesting art form inside!

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