Clematis VI - White

2018
Photograph
130 x 104 cm
ed of 3 copies + 1 A.P 

The plant series reflects the transience of things and the endless cycle of life and death. Viewing the elaborate tangle of colored, depth-mapped outlines and patterns of a rotten leaf with 3D glasses suddenly brings chaos back to order, revealing this unexpected secret beauty.
The series draws its inspiration from the striking ethereal beauty of Karl Blossfeldt’s early 20th century work, adding a new dimension to reduced graphic aesthetics of plant photography: depth. Slightly offset red-cyan colored outlines and structures generate curiosity, but their stereoscopic secret will only be revealed with 3D glasses, allowing the observer to immerse in a new world of illusion. The correlation between viewer and image becomes dynamic. Looking at the flat, graphically reduced image without glasses, is a more abstract and texture driven perception, while the 3D visualization allows us to feel the volume and dive into the image. Switching between two views rises to a new emotional relationship, loaded with tension, imagination and emotion.

"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