Initial fieldwork discovery

The exploration into the practice of tearing photographic paper is based on an observation during a field visit to Bayeux on July 4th, 2016. While zooming in on a dustbin containing rejected photographic paper print debris (refer to the image on the left), I was captivated by the sculptural composition of the paper fragments, which I photographed. This encounter heightened my sensitivity to the aesthetics of the assembled paper debris, prompting me to delve into the relationships surrounding the dustbin.

The labyrinth of paths leading to the dustbin and the technicians' actions came vividly to my mind, accompanied by the sounds and activities involved. Among these actions, the repeated tearing of photographic paper before disposal stood out as a prevalent and intriguing practice that aroused my aesthetic and sensory curiosity.

Eager to understand the significance of this process, I approached the image technician I was shadowing and sought permission to record them while they tore the paper. With their consent, I prepared the recording device and watched as they resumed their swift and rhythmic routine of tearing discarded photographic paper prints into pieces.

To my astonishment, the technician commented on the sound and tactile sensation of tearing paper. This added another layer of fascination to my inquiry. As I delved deeper into the subject, three aesthetic aspects emerged.

 

First, the sculptural forms created by the multitude of torn paper pieces gathered in the paper bin. Second, the sounds produced during the tearing process. And finally, the haptic experience of feeling the paper's texture

as it tore. 

 
 

 

To explore the potential of tearing photographic paper to produce sounds, tactile sensations and bodies,

I devised a study session TEARING PAPER

during NTU's Fine Art residency Summer Lodge in 2018. 

Explorative study session:
Tearing paper

Fig x: Texture map of a paper debris object from the study session Tearing Paper

Fig x: Documentaion of a paper debris object from the study session Tearing Paper

Andrea Jaeger (2020) Groundless belonging, multimedia installation of four triptychs, photographic imagery combined with a haiku, resting on wooden blocks.
Andrea Jaeger (2020) Groundless belonging, multimedia installation of four triptychs, photographic imagery combined with a haiku, resting on wooden blocks.
 
Groundless belonging (Andrea Jaeger, 2020) is a multimedia installation consisting of four triptychs, each combining two images and a haiku, resting on wooden blocks. One of the two images of each triptych, shows an image rooted in nature, contrasted with a close-up image of paper pieces that are connected through a three-lined haiku. For instance, Trees fallenshows one of the four triptychs, with the image on the left showing two fallen tree logs lying on their sides on a grassy and muddy ground. The tracks in the mud suggest recent movement or dragging of the logs. The central image shows the edge of a white paper strip, focusing on its thickness and texture, highlighting the materiality of the paper beyond its flat surface. The right image holds a textual component in a handwritten style font. Together, the triptych draws parallels between the bodies of both, fallen trees and the paper piece, laying on their side, while the text draws material connections between the portrayed bodies.
 
In the felling the tree, in cutting it open, the wooden flesh was exposed, round-shaped in growth and pastel-coloured it was far from the thin white flatness of photographic paper. However, similarly like cutting trees, did the tearing of cut-away photographic paper expose the flesh of photographic paper in its edge.
 
The triptych titled Tender together, shown a close-up of a tree's surface in the leftmost image. Here detailed textures and a prominent knot with radial cracks are shown. The middle image portrays two thin, curved paper strips, against a plain background, which casts subtle shadows and conveys a sense of delicate balance and vulnerability. The rightmost image is textual, with a three-lined haiku in a flowing, handwritten style. This text connects the visual elements presented in the other two images, emphasizing softness, curvature, and a sense of exposure or vulnerability in relation to the organic nature of the tree's surface and the fragility of the paper pieces. 
 
Together with the other two triptychs, Beyond surface and Balancing thoughts, this work collectively draws attention to the themes of cutting, material depth, and invitation to look beyond surfaces and edges. Each set juxtaposes images of tree segments and paper, with accompanying text that poetically furthers this connection, alluding to concepts such as fallen bodies, raw materiality, tenderness, exposure, and the inherent nature of the materials. The images of tree stumps and logs, with their textured surfaces and the raw, exposed cores where cuts have been made, parallel the images of paper strips. These paper strips, also cut and positioned in various states of curling and standing, cast shadows that give them a sense of depth and three-dimensionality. Through this interplay between visual imagery and text, the triptychs encourage to contemplate the physicality of both organic and produced objects. They suggest that through cutting and observing edges, material insights beyond surface-level – whether it be the rings and fibers of wood or the grain and folds of paper – are revealed. 

Andrea Jaeger (202x) Material Tiffs, site-specific installation of large-scale photographic texture maps.

Andrea Jaeger (2024) Paper said, sound installation.

Andrea Jaeger (2020) Groundless belonging, multimedia installation of four triptychs, photographic imagery combined with a haiku, resting on wooden blocks.


 

roundless belonging (Andrea Jaeger, 2020) is a multimedia installation consisting of four triptychs, each combining two images and a haiku, resting on wooden blocks. One of the two images of each triptych, shows an image rooted in nature, contrasted with a close-up image of paper pieces that are connected through a three-lined haiku. For instance, Trees fallenshows one of the four triptychs, with the image on the left showing two fallen tree logs lying on their sides on a grassy and muddy ground. The tracks in the mud suggest recent movement or dragging of the logs. The central image shows the edge of a white paper strip, focusing on its thickness and texture, highlighting the materiality of the paper beyond its flat surface. The right image holds a textual component in a handwritten style font. Together, the triptych draws parallels between the bodies of both, fallen trees and the paper piece, laying on their side, while the text draws material connections between the portrayed bodies.

 

In the felling the tree, in cutting it open, the wooden flesh was exposed, round-shaped in growth and pastel-coloured it was far from the thin white flatness of photographic paper. However, similarly like cutting trees, did the tearing of cut-away photographic paper expose the flesh of photographic paper in its edge.

 

The triptych titled Tender together, shown a close-up of a tree's surface in the leftmost image. Here detailed textures and a prominent knot with radial cracks are shown. The middle image portrays two thin, curved paper strips, against a plain background, which casts subtle shadows and conveys a sense of delicate balance and vulnerability. The rightmost image is textual, with a three-lined haiku in a flowing, handwritten style. This text connects the visual elements presented in the other two images, emphasizing softness, curvature, and a sense of exposure or vulnerability in relation to the organic nature of the tree's surface and the fragility of the paper pieces. 

 

 
Together with the other two triptychs, Beyond surface and Balancing thoughts, this work collectively draws attention to the themes of cutting, material depth, and invitation to look beyond surfaces and edges. Each set juxtaposes images of tree segments and paper, with accompanying text that poetically furthers this connection, alluding to concepts such as fallen bodies, raw materiality, tenderness, exposure, and the inherent nature of the materials. The images of tree stumps and logs, with their textured surfaces and the raw, exposed cores where cuts have been made, parallel the images of paper strips. These paper strips, also cut and positioned in various states of curling and standing, cast shadows that give them a sense of depth and three-dimensionality. Through this interplay between visual imagery and text, the triptychs encourage to contemplate the physicality of both organic and produced objects. They suggest that through cutting and observing edges, material insights beyond surface-level – whether it be the rings and fibers of wood or the grain and folds of paper – are revealed.