White II - Lopezia Racemosa

2018 
Photograph 
56 x 56 cm
ed of 5 copies + 1 A.P 

The ALCOPLANTS series features various plants and blossoms floating in jars of alcohol. Most of the plants were collected prior to World War I and are part of the Botanische Staatssammlung in Munich. They have been sitting in these jars for over a hundred years. Keeping plants in alcohol was a common way for researchers in the preservation of herbarium species for scientific research. Colors fade quickly in alcohol, revealing the plant’s translucent, ghostlike texture, thus creating unexpected innate beauty. At the same time, questions arise about how fragile our environment is. Can nature only be preserved when it’s sealed away? How is beauty affected, when kept in an artificial environment? Each image is a glimpse into a time capsule: into the past when nature yet had to be explored and stereo photography was highly successful within the genre.

"After more than two decades of working in film as a director and director of photography, I became fascinated with stereoscopic projects in 2009. I started focusing on this new format, intrigued by the fact that time-honored design principles needed to be redefined when adding the next big step to photography: the third dimension. I was wondering if and how stereo imaging could become an autonomous art form of contemporary photography. What would be the impact on style, composition and graphic appearance of an image that aims to be equally aesthetic in 2D and 3D?
And most important, is it possible to distance oneself from the simple gimmick that often lies in stereoscopic images by creating a completely new aesthetic experience or even an additional truth? But the most fascinating aspect is the moment when a flat graphic image transforms into a photographic sculpture. It’s an invitation to the viewer to start a dialog with the image, a vivid interactive experience, questioning the way we see the world. I was recently showing my work at Photo London, when a guest turned to me and said: „Isn’t it absolutely amazing how great the world looks in stereo?“ Well, this is how most of us see the world every minute of our life. It’s a gift, fascinating and rich. This project is a journey to experience how things transform, when looked at „in depth“. "
Sebastian Cramer