We live in a fast-paced digital society. The world is getting flooded with images every day, hour, minute, second. We can reproduce them endlessly and we can change everything about it afterwards if we decide we want it differently. It is limitless.
In March 2020, due to Covid, the world went into lockdown. Both the slowing down of time and being in relative isolation was motive to reflect on time passed and time yet to come. I decided to go back to my roots and explore the ‘unique’ image.
The camera obscura has been around for hundreds of years. Used as a tool by scientist and artists like Leonardo Da Vinci. I decided to build my own ultra large camera obscura. Sitting inside, it takes time to get used to the dark and to immerse myself in the image which is projected inside the camera. Almost everything looks beautiful, with such detail. It is and intense experience to cut and put up the paper in the complete dark, only using touch as a reference. When I sit and watch the image during the long exposure times it feels like it is holding my time as well.
I use the RA-4 color reversal process to develop my photographs. It’s an experimental process which is about ‘control’ and ‘let go’ at the same time. So many elements play a part in the final outcome of the image. Once the photograph is developed nothing can be changed. One has to embrace the imperfection or let go.Traces of the making proces are visible in the photographs. And while you can look at the large photographs from a distance, when you come closer, you can discover beauty in details and small anomalies that tricker the mind.
The outcome is a ‘unique’ image. The photo becomes object.
In March 2020, due to Covid, the world went into lockdown. Both the slowing down of time and being in relative isolation was motive to reflect on time passed and time yet to come. I decided to go back to my roots and explore the ‘unique’ image.
The camera obscura has been around for hundreds of years. Used as a tool by scientist and artists like Leonardo Da Vinci. I decided to build my own ultra large camera obscura. Sitting inside, it takes time to get used to the dark and to immerse myself in the image which is projected inside the camera. Almost everything looks beautiful, with such detail. It is and intense experience to cut and put up the paper in the complete dark, only using touch as a reference. When I sit and watch the image during the long exposure times it feels like it is holding my time as well.
I use the RA-4 color reversal process to develop my photographs. It’s an experimental process which is about ‘control’ and ‘let go’ at the same time. So many elements play a part in the final outcome of the image. Once the photograph is developed nothing can be changed. One has to embrace the imperfection or let go.Traces of the making proces are visible in the photographs. And while you can look at the large photographs from a distance, when you come closer, you can discover beauty in details and small anomalies that tricker the mind.
The outcome is a ‘unique’ image. The photo becomes object.