Photo artists who work without cameras
The meeting with Swiss photo artists Daniel and Françoise Cartier took place at IGUMO. They have been working on the Wait and See project for 20 years already. Presenting themselves as photo artists, Mr. and Mrs. Cartier do not use cameras. Thanks, to this, their creative approach is unique and their projects are one-of-a-kind.
In the 2000s, the photo artists considered the sense of the image and thought about the analogues to the habitual images. They had the idea to create works by using light-sensitive paper.
Light-sensitive paper is usually hidden from light in order emulsion could preserve its qualities. The artists decided to work in the opposite way and use photo paper with light in their projects.
When affected by light, the material changes to change its initial colour. It is almost impossible to predict that it will be in the end. Throughout the week, Daniel and Françoise Cartier test fragments of different photo paper and track the changes in order to create an integral project. As a result, they make an installation made of squares of different sizes and colours.
In their projects, Mr. and Mrs. Cartier join different formats and styles of contemporary art with traditions of classical modern art. They work in line with the colour methods of artists Paul Klee and Johannes Itten.
Colour combinations in the projects of photo artists are thought through in detail. They carefully pick the shades to ensure that their installation has an emotional impact on the viewer.
Daniel and Françoise Cartier introduce the paradigm of time into the context of their artworks. Their presentations are unfinished. They remain ‘alive’ and change during the exhibition. It is not always possible to see the transformation with the naked eye but it actually occurs. As mentioned by the authors, the colour is becoming deeper over time.
The shade of the colour depends on many aspects, for example, the quality of photo paper. The artists have about 800 types of such materials from different countries in their collection. They also possess the unique pieces of photo paper of the 19th and the 20th centuries.
The projects by Daniel and Françoise Cartier are kept in experimental divisions of museums.
After the meeting with IGUMO students, the photo artists continued their dialogue with the Institute’s staff. They learned about the Days of Contemporary Art (DOCA) international festival held at IGUMO annually. They agreed to exhibit their works at DOCA and involve the students of the Faculties of Photography and Design in joint work.
Kristina Danilina, Agency for Relevant Communication students’ business incubator
Translated by Nikolay Gavrilov
16.09.2019
Ïðîñìîòðîâ:
Marina
Volynkina