Additive Photography
(2019)
author(s): Ives Maes
published in: Journal for Artistic Research
Since the invention of photography, there have been numerous hybrid experiments between photography and sculpture that testify to a continuous influence of sculpture on photography and vice versa. In my own visual work, I am researching the physical, sculptural and architectural aspects of photography. I am analysing a number of historical experiments, from the 16th century camera obscura pavilion to 21st century digital processes, which I apply to my artistic practice. A particularly important example is the photosculpture process of François Willème. In the late 1850s, he aimed at reproducing sculpture with the help of photography, creating a distinctive union between the two media. His method to extrude sculptures from photographs laid the ground principles for the 3D scanner and printer. In this exposition I bring to the fore how the work of Willème propelled its significant influence towards today, and how it inspired me to create new visual work. At the same time, this experience constitutes an exemplary case study on how theoretical research can steer the creation of visual research.
The Aesthetics of Photographic Production
(last edited: 2024)
author(s): Andrea Jaeger
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
This exposition forms part of the research project exploring the often-overlooked sensory and material facets of photographic production, challenging the traditional focus solely on the visual aspect of photographs. The research questions the prevailing view that understanding photography is limited to analysing the final image, suggesting instead that the process of making a photograph—its production in real-world environments such as laboratories, factories, and manufacturing spaces—holds equal aesthetic significance. The aim is twofold: to redirect attention to processes of photographic making, exploring the aesthetic dimension beyond the photograph itself, and to examine how this shift influences the overall understanding of photographic practice.
Employing practice-based research across diverse photographic settings, this study uncovers the aesthetic nuances of C-type printing processes, including the tensioning, fogging, and tearing of photosensitive paper. It adopts an event-centric viewpoint, moving beyond the visual to explore multisensory handlings—listening, touching, and feeling—that are integral to photographic production, and acknowledges the contributions of more-than-human agency in photographic making. This approach allows for a multi-modal presentation of findings, combining traditional written analysis with experiential expositions to highlight the importance of non-visual outputs in photographic making.