A wavelength selective manipulation device comprising: at least a first optical input port (1-10) for inputting an optical signal including a plurality of wavelength channels; a spherical mirror that receives and collimates the optical signal; a first wavelength dispersion element that receives the collimated optical signal and angularly disperses the wavelength channels of said optical signal into angularly dispersed wavelength signals; the device further comprising an optical power element that receives the angularly dispersed wavelength signals and focuses in the dimension of the angular dispersion said angularly dispersed wavelength signals and collimates in the orthogonal axis said angularly dispersed wavelength signals into a series of elongated spatially separated wavelengths bands, wherein the optical power element comprises said spherical mirror and a cylindrical lens such that the angularly dispersed wavelength signals pass through the cylindrical lens to the spherical mirror and return through the cylindrical lens; and a liquid crystal spatial light modulator that receives the elongated spatially separated wavelength bands and comprises cells with variable retardance levels so as to provide a selective driving structure where the liquid crystal spatial light modulator is divided into a series of elongated regions of cells substantially matching said elongated spatially separated wavelength bands and including a plurality of drivable cells, in which cells of a region are drivable between a plurality of diffraction states for selectively spatially manipulating said elongated spatially separated wavelength bands to produce spatially manipulated wavelength bands, and wherein, in use, said cells are driven so as to provide said selective driving structure which projects a corresponding optical signal falling on the cell region substantially into one of a series of output order modes. at least a first optical input port (1-10) for inputting an optical signal including a plurality of wavelength channels; a spherical mirror that receives and collimates the optical signal; a first wavelength dispersion element that receives the collimated optical signal and angularly disperses the wavelength channels of said optical signal into angularly dispersed wavelength signals; the device further comprising an optical power element that receives the angularly dispersed wavelength signals and focuses in the dimension of the angular dispersion said angularly dispersed wavelength signals and collimates in the orthogonal axis said angularly dispersed wavelength signals into a series of elongated spatially separated wavelengths bands, wherein the optical power element comprises said spherical mirror and a cylindrical lens such that the angularly dispersed wavelength signals pass through the cylindrical lens to the spherical mirror and return through the cylindrical lens; and a liquid crystal spatial light modulator that receives the elongated spatially separated wavelength bands and comprises cells with variable retardance levels so as to provide a selective driving structure where the liquid crystal spatial light modulator is divided into a series of elongated regions of cells substantially matching said elongated spatially separated wavelength bands and including a plurality of drivable cells, in which cells of a region are drivable between a plurality of diffraction states for selectively spatially manipulating said elongated spatially separated wavelength bands to produce spatially manipulated wavelength bands, and wherein, in use, said cells are driven so as to provide said selective driving structure which projects a corresponding optical signal falling on the cell region substantially into one of a series of output order modes. <EOS>