School builds huge camera obscura

BBC Learning EnglishLondon LifeSchool builds huge camera obscuraAmber: Hello, I'm Amber 1, and you’re listening tobbclearningenglish.com.
　　In London Life today, we visit a school to hear about avery unusual new piece of playground equipment!
　　The Michael Faraday School is in the middle of a largecouncil estate in South London. A council estate is acommunity of houses or flats built by the government andavailable at a reduced rent.
　　Two years ago, the nine-and-ten-year-old children at theschool worked with a local group of architects to designsome new playground equipment. And recently, the firstextraordinary piece arrived. It’s a huge camera obscura –a small, dark room into which an image of what is outsideis projected using a small hole, and sometimes a simplelens.
　　And this rather special camera obscura is made from arecycled grain silo – a silo is a tall tower used forstoring grain or cereal crop. So it’s extremely heavy!
　　Child and teacher‘We’re from Michael Faraday School and we’re watchingthe big camera obscura being delivered! And I’m worriedthat the playground is going to collapse 2!’
　　Amber: But it didn’t! And when all the camera obscura’ssubmarine-style hatches, or small doors, are closed, itprojects onto its walls a 360 degree image of theplayground, the school and the surrounding flats. When thedoors are open, it’s a kind of tree house you can climb upinto!
　　Here’s architect Clare Price talking about the idea forthe camera obscura which was ‘generated’, or created, bythe school children themselves. She says it wasa ‘strong’ idea – a strong idea is likely to besuccessful. And it seemed ‘to stick’
　　– it was memorable 3 – and it ‘made a lot of sense’ – itwas a sensible idea! As you listen, try to catch what kindof ‘little world’ the camera obscura creates for thechildren.
　　Architect‘It was a very, very strong idea that was generated fromthe children – the idea for this tree house, because Ithink that they really liked the idea of rising up into anillicit, secret, little world that’s raised off theground. And gradually, we came up with the idea ofcombining a tree house with a camera obscura, and thatseemed to be an idea that seemed to stick and make a lot ofsense.’
　　Amber: So the camera obscura is ‘an illicit 4, secret,little world’ for the children. If something is ‘illicit’ it is forbidden!
　　Next, a teacher involved in the project explains what thechildren learn from the camera obscura. She says it showshow a camera works – it is a way of bringing photography‘back to basics’ – of talking about the most importantor essential part of photography. Back to basics.
　　As you listen, try to catch the word for the opening in acamera that light travels through.
　　Project teacher‘They learn the magic of photography and light, and howsimple it is to view a photographic image. We’re so farremoved these days, just looking through a viewfinder andclicking a button – they don’t actually understand howcameras work. So this is a way of bringing photography backto basics and showing children that it’s just simply lighttravelling through an aperture 5.’
　　Amber: An ‘aperture’ is an opening in a camera or amicroscope, for example, that lets light pass through alens or mirror.
　　Now 20 children go inside their camera obscura where theywill see an image of their friends outside in theplayground - upside down and back to front! And we learnthe etymology 6 – the origin or history - of the words‘camera obscura’.
　　Project teacher and children‘So, we’re inside a camera obscura. I’m going to shutthis door and it’s going to become completely blackinside. No light whatsoever 7. But, can you see all theseround things that you were looking at? They’re all lenses.
　　And some of them are open, and some of them are closed. OK?
　　And basically, what we’re going to do is, we’re going toshow you how a photographic image is produced naturally,just through a hole. Are you ready? …Does anyone know what ‘camera obscura’ means? In Latin,it means ‘dark room’ – the word‘camera’ means ‘room’ and ‘obscura’ means ‘dark’ -and we are standing 8 in a dark room, aren’t we? Can you seethere’s an image on the bottom of the wall? It’s quiteblurry isn’t it? And now everyone look at the picture!’
　　Amber: Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?
　　Now here again is some of the language from today’sprogramme:
　　camera obscura grain siloto generate an idea back to basics apertureetymologyMore news stories and language explanations next time atbbclearningenglish.com