Sources of Construction (Exhibition 2016)

In "Sources of Construction," I provide insights into how I construct my reality to help visitors become aware of their own personal perceptions of reality.

My work focuses on investigating, altering, and expanding human perception through artistic-scientific methods that make invisible or overlooked aspects visually accessible. I am greatly influenced by Heinz von Foerster and Ernst von Glasersfeld, both epistemologists known for their contributions to Radical Constructivism. This theory posits that each perception is entirely subjective, meaning perception cannot offer an image of reality independent of consciousness.

This approach is evident in much of my work. I strive to detect reality while acknowledging that a universal reality is unattainable. I aim to support a holistic view, which is why all my works are composed of numerous single images that, when combined, reveal a larger whole.

One of my projects, "The Future Past," uses the collodion process to create hundreds of wet plates. Represented by the diptych "Black Hole Sun," this project merges old and new photographic techniques to achieve something that was not possible when the wet plate process was developed 160 years ago, yet will endure for centuries. Additionally, I critique the infinite reproduction and edition market in contemporary photography by interfering with and modifying the digital workflow. The collodion process, incapable of producing identical copies, mirrors the uniqueness of human experiences—each plate, akin to a human clone, is unique due to its distinctive journey during the time-consuming process.

The "Hidden World Series" is a work in progress that continually expands. This new series emphasizes the filmic aspect, moving beyond the technical focus of 2014 to express memory itself within a photograph. Spending significant time in a single location makes capturing specific atmospheres and actions in one image nearly impossible. Our memories blend various occurrences, which the photographic process must also emulate. Hence, I combine multiple scenes to depict a timeframe, resulting in a highly personal memory of a subjective experience.

My photographic works, such as "You are beautiful..." and "You are handsome...," often explore the phenomenon of wanting to know and explore everything while excluding the negative. "Sections," on the other hand, showcases thin layers of plant textures, facilitating the perception of their structure and inner processes.

The installation "(Butter)Fly’s Eye Cam" and the project "A Possibility of a (Butter) Fly’s View," represented by the work "Me," explore viewing the world through different perspectives, particularly imagining how a butterfly might see me. Using a specially built camera with approximately 33,000 drinking straws, this work captures an entire human body from the viewpoint of a compound eye, tracing different modes of perception. This endeavor allows me to surpass the limitations of representing not only anatomical but also psychological processes.

A few more photos shot by George Kaulfersch of the opening and the guided tour can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=568326813374290&set=pcb.568327410040897