.chloroplastics
Chloroplasts are cellular subunits in plants, which conduct photosynthesis. Artificial plants do not conduct photosynthesis in order to stay green. They are supposed to be evergreen low-maintenance items of domestic and corporate decoration. Yet, they still change their appearance through time. The ongoing project Chloroplastics is inspired by classical 18th-century botanical illustrations, in particular the drawings by Ferdinand Bauer, whose works Flora Graeca and Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae are major influences on the series. With Chloroplastics, the act of studying a natural plant specimen in detail and creating a visual representation of it, is applied to plastic flowers, which are already representations themselves. Rather than merely cataloguing individual fake plants into a photographic herbarium, Chloroplastics explores whether these plants show any signs of withering, such as fading colours, abrasion, or dust. To do so, the series diverts from the neutral representation of classical illustrations in that the specimen are directly exposed to the camera’s flash, a substitute for the sun, paralleling the plants’ artificiality. This recreation of the sunlight provides for strong contrasts, partly hiding, at closer look exposing the plants artificial character. In these ways the aforementioned forms of weathering become visible, such as the greens that sometimes fade into turquoise and blue hues. Apart from this close and rather visual analysis, the project also hints at the contexts these plants are placed in, trying to answer where and why people prefer the substitute rather than the ephemeral beauty of the original.
View album
.particles
Since the ‘spatial turn’ in the mid-90s, the concept of identity as a container that can be filled with very different, even contradictory contents, is an established notion in literary theory. “Particles” transforms this concept into a study of sculptural photography. Each cube contains objects collected in a specific location across Luxembourg city. In their compressed appearance, they are meant to represent a given site’s identity in a condensed form. Within Luxembourg’s population, people have strong stereotypes of which quarters are supposed to be posh and which ones are considered desolate. These preconceptions are mirrored by a difference in housing prices and varying dynamics of gentrification. Fast food on a sports field or a drug stash near a renowned bank allude to socio-geographical realities that only very rarely surface in popular notions of Luxembourg. Particles was exhibited at, among others, the Festival Circulation( s), the Encontros da Imagem, and the Athens Photo Festival.
View album
.local colour
This series is a personal work, documenting the neighbourhood I have lived in since I moved to Luxembourg in 2013. In close proximity to Luxembourg City’s train station, the quarter’s reputation is notoriously bad, with drug trafficking and prostitution coining the area’s image. Triggered by the ongoing transformation of the whole city and the quarter in particular, I felt the need to document the changes around me. Since the area is subject to an increased gentrification with old town houses being knocked down and replaced by modern office and apartment buildings, more and more contrasts appear. This work also enables me to properly discover my neighbourhood and all its colours, shapes, and textures that form its character. Choosing a decidedly minimalist approach, I want to provide enough time and space to reflect on these individual, seemingly everyday features one could easily overlook - even as a resident.
View album
Photo: Romain Girtgen / CNA
Photo: Romain Girtgen / CNA
Photo: Romain Girtgen / CNA
Photo: Romain Girtgen / CNA
