Retrouvaille

"RETROUVAILLE": to find again that what you have been seperated from

The negative (as well as the positive and the pixel) is a crucial element for the photographer. It is the result of his observations and becomes the record of his view. Normally it is to be stored diligently. My artistic approach, however, is to submit the negative to a particular process before meticulous classification and storage. A negative can end up in a muckheap, at the bottom of a pylon, being thatched to a tree or immersed in water, being packed into a cheesburger, wrapping a kiwifruit or laying inside a tomb. On the other hand it can also accompany a very living person.

I call this work "RETROUVAILLE": to find again that what you have been seperated from for a long time. This means that I give the negative the chance to get back to the place where the light imprint has been taken. I dispossess myself completely of the negative for a certain period varying from 5 minutes to 9 months. I leave it there, I get away and let the time act. This period can have more or less outcome. The chemical coat of the film is going to be modified, worsening, somehow exploding or even disappearing completely because of the circumstances. The surface can be charged with organic material. Sticking herbs can veil the image, where insects will look for a shelter under there and leave their remnants such as cocons and other remains of their carapaces. Electricity might touch the surface leaving drop-shaped traces. The natural elements will change the colours and the grain of the film.