Exhibitions of analog and digital display holograms of all types.

Since its early days of activity, the Hellenic Institute of Holography is a strong advocate of display holograms exhibitions addressed to the general public as the most efficient way for the promotion and dissemination of optical Holography as a technology, as a technique and as a medium of artistic expression. Given that the visual impression of the true 3-dimensional holographic image cannot be described or communicated verbally, it is absolutely necessary for each individual separately to obtain a personnal visual contact and form his/her own impression for every hologram, as the conventional printing methods or 2-dimensional monitors cannot represent the third dimension. In fact, even the so-called '3D modelling' through sophisticated computer software requires from the viewer a good deal of his imagination for the 3D perception of every object whereas the use of 3D monitors (polarized or glass-free) offers a stereoscopic view with simple depth perception or space projection but without being able to simulate the horizontal/vertical parallax of a hologram.

The need for such type of exhibitions becomes even more obvious in the case of display holograms (such as those on which the HiH focuses its activities) and -in particular- those for Museum applications. As a result, already since the first days of its operation, the HiH has assigned special importance in hologram exhibitions, among which the first such major event 'THE WORLD OF HOLOGRAPHY' in Athens in 1988 has been the most successful followed by a number of smaller-scale shows over the years in spite of the gradual loss of public interest and the increasing enrichment of the hologram Collections of the Institute.

Since 2008, a renewed interest in holograms exhibitions has been observed internationally either in the form of retrospective events (such as on the occasion of celebrating 60 years since the invention of Holography) or on the justification of the visually impressive results offered by the large-format digital and the full-colour analog holograms. Over time, the Hellenic Institute of Holography did not cease to enhance its Collections regularly with new additions of collectible display holograms thus resulting in a systematically selected and classified group of holograms, worth to be publicly exhibited in local temporary events of local or int'l exposure whilst the creation of a permanent hologram exhibition in Greece remains within the mid-term strategic aims of the HiH.

It is within this framework that the HIH has agreed with a number of int'l partners active in the field of diplay holography the regular co-organization of the periodic World Exhibition of Display Holography. In this concept, each of the participating institutions contributes with selected display holograms for a limited period of time whilst one of the partners undertakes the organization of a particular local event for a specific period of time. The first exhibition of its kind tοοκ place with great success in Minsk of Belarus between Oct 1st and Dec 22nd, 2011 with more than 100,000 paid visitors of all ages.