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Akram Miknas's interest in moving image started with research and developed into a passion that borders on obsession. He is a historical tome spewing reams and reams of information charting the evolution of moving image through ages.
After acquiring several artefacts since the last 20 years Mr Miknas is now planning a moving image museum in Bahrain. The exhibition will provide a rare glimpse into the subject of moving image that has fascinated man since the discovery of fire at the time when he started making images with shadows.
"The museum of moving image will be the first on the island. There are four museums of a similar kind in the world - London, New York, Germany, France - and mine will add to the number," said Mr Miknas who estimates that his museum is worth $1.5million. "My collection is as close as possible to the complete history of moving image," he added.
From an 18th century Kinora - a motion picture for the home where a wheel is rotated by a handle and the pictures when viewed through a lens give the illusion of motion - to Praxinoscope, Zoetropes and other objects operating on similar principle demonstrate early attempts at animation. Large brightly coloured mutoscopes and many more planned for the exhibition are proof of man's painstaking quest for movement.
Presently, Mr Miknas's collection is housed at his private home in Nabih Saleh where it is being indexed and filed for exhibition purposes. Plans for the exhibition had been in the pipeline for some time now but tracking the origin and history of different objects is a time consuming chore that requires research and careful documentation.
The exhibition, in conjunction with the Ministry of Information, is slated to premiere in Bahrain in the second quarter of 2009 but discussions are still underway to iron out the details.
Later, Mr Miknas is planning to take it around the region for a wider audience. "Promoseven Holdings celebrated its 40 years this year. As part of our celebrations and a fitting tribute to our field, moving image museum is going to travel to all the countries where we have offices," said the Lebanese born Bahraini collector.
The moving image museum will have around 150 unique items that mark innovations and improvements in human development related to movement. He has close to 20,000 pictures in three dimensional forms. In the collection is a 19th century reel of Charlie Chaplin in his pre-electrical movie spool called Flicker. The oldest item in his collection is a 500 year old disc with pictures painted on it which when rotated gives the impression of moving image.
"Most of these old artefacts are hand painted and priceless and very difficult to find. There are around 10 collectors in the world interested in the subject of moving image and we know each other and buy and exchange objects among ourselves."
Mr Miknas has bought most of the artefacts at auctions, antique shops and from private collectors around the world. His favourite piece of item in his collection is a megalethoscope made by Italian inventor, Charles Ponti in 1862 that shows a three dimensional image in a tunnel shaped wooden box. "The ingenuity and drama behind the invention are simply fascinating," he added.
The world of advertising that Mr Miknas is closely related to is full of modern day imagery and digital gimmickry and he hopes that his upcoming museum will drum interest in the local community to appreciate the innovation of moving image through ages.
