In pursuit of the hole

Their history tells a story of power and potential. The world is full of holes. Archaeologists analyse postholes to identify ancient settlements, the great artist Raphael used tiny holes to transfer a sketch from paper to a frescoed wall, and even windows can be reduced to nothing more than a hole allowing us to see across space or time. Art historian Kim Beil explains how holes have enabled us to create art throughout history, including the ancient technique of pouncing favoured from 10th-century China to the Italian Renaissance, to the optical principle that gave rise to photography.