Artists Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder have created an exciting piece of interactive artwork now on display in Madison Square Park. Entitled “Topsy Turvy,” the piece is a ten by ten foot cylindrical room which functions as a camera obscura.
First described by Chinese philosopher Mozi more than 2,300 years ago, the camera obscura (Latin for “dark room”) is simply a darkened chamber with a small hole cut into one wall. The hole focuses and inverts light, forming a projected upside-down image on the opposite wall. There’s no lens and no electronics.
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Those students living in the NYU Game Center with a half a bag of stale Cheetos, a liter of Diet Coke and developing pre-mature carpal tunnel (read: me) will be pleased to know that they are not entirely wasting their college experience. 
I apologize to my loyal readers (Hi Mom, Dad and that guy I met at CVS!) for the break from our weekly column “Art Thinks” over the past couple of weeks. While I do love a storm (what better time to catch up on reading ArtForum by candlelight?) and even more enjoy a holiday (If I had a dime for every turkey giblet I incorporated into a performance piece back in the mid-eighties– hooboy!), the two do not mix well for meeting deadlines concerning hard-hitting art journalism. But “Art Thinks” is back, dear readers, at least until the next natural disaster (or winter break) rips me from your arms once more.
