ACCIDENTAL ARCHITECTURE • JAMES STOKOE

This selection of photographs documents a collection of prototypes of eye examination instruments developed and designed by my grandfather Harry Palmeter and my great uncle William Noah Allyn. In 1915 the Welch Allyn company patented a self-illuminated ophthalmoscope. This is an instrument that shines light into the eye and with the aid of lenses allows the examiner to observe the light sensitive tissues that are the receivers of the visual world outside the eye. The world inside the eye, though important to keep track of, is a rather unremarkable visual space for most observers. I would imagine that the internal world of a digital camera and its array of sensors is likewise devoid of visual interest. Not so the magnified surfaces and elemental forms of the images that are presented here. To my eye they offer striking examples of the serendipitous visual qualities that can flow from a pragmatically directed activity and the working process of skilled designers.