Stephen Benton called himself an "optiker" – someone who works at the intersection of light and vision. The MIT Media Lab founding faculty member, known for his pioneering work in spatial imaging, grew up in the 1940s and 50s fascinated by 3D movies. As an MIT undergraduate, his mentor, renowned photographer and electrical engineering professor Harold Edgerton, introduced him to Polaroid founder Edwin Land, who offered Benton a lab at Polaroid to conduct experiments.

It was there, in 1965, that Benton, together with John and Mary McCann and his wife Jeannie, made his first hologram. In 1968, he made his own groundbreaking contribution to holography – the first white-light transmission, or "rainbow," holograms. Up to that point, most holograms required a laser to be seen. Benton's holograms could be viewed in the readily accessible light of a light bulb or the sun.

His invention injected energy into the field, opening new possibilities in imaging across scientific and commercial applications, and establishing a new medium for artists to explore. For the next decade, Benton honed his technique, pushing the technical and artistic boundaries of holography, and creating new works with each investigation.

For Benton, holograms seemed both familiar and strange. Standing in front of one, there is the illusion that you are "seeing" something. In reality, a hologram contains no image, only micro-scale structures that act upon light waves. The scene does not exist until light waves from the hologram meet our eyes. It is our brain that forms the scene in all its brightness, range of color, and spatial depth.

The holograms on display here are visual stopping points on the experimental journey Benton traveled. As you look at these rainbow holograms, take a moment to feel the creative interaction of your brain and light. Benton would appreciate that.

The MIT Museum has the largest and most comprehensive collection of holograms in the world. In 2023, Benton's family donated his own extraordinary collection. It documents his two decades of research and teaching at the Media Lab, and includes his personal collection of holograms, which showcase his own work as well as that of the many artists, students, and researchers with whom he collaborated through his career.