Philosophy
The conception of Wabi Sabi and Zen philosophy have shaped my aesthetic perception. The experiences and insights that I have gained on my many travels have influenced my works.
My time in Japan has had the most lasting effect on me. The encounters with people who left strong impressions in me, the traditions, the Japanese craft, writers like Tanizaki Jun’ichirō or the tea master Rikyū, the poet Matsuo Bashō, as well as my own spirituality.
Many objects I give a new space to, I collect them by myself in nature. It is part of my journey to be fascinated by objects from daily life, such as a tin can or a clay bowl which I received as a gift from a healer in Sierra Leone, and to recognize the value in them.
It is a great gift to have discovered the ambrotype in all its uniqueness for me. I exclusively create unique items.
Most characteristically, my own philosophy describes the perception of the Japanese writer Tanizaki Jun’ichirō in the mastery of the patina, which is created by years of tireless polishing.
Work process
I deliberately chose the medium of wet collodion photography because it allows me a maximum deceleration and with it to concentrate on the essential.
All photographs are developed on black glass specially made for me. I gather the chemicals needed for this, up to the vanish, which is additionally mixed with lavender oil from Southern France and Gum Sandarac from the Atlas Mountains.
The process is very complex, it requires a high level of technical and chemical understanding, paired with sensitive manual skills.
Since then, I have been constantly developing this multilayered and complex work process, whose magic continues to have an impact on me, and adapting it to my way of working.
Fabrics
When I started experimenting with fabrics I received a small sample of a Japanese brown Kakishibui textile. I put it on my black glass and I was surprised what happened to it.
This special brown colored with the unripe persimmon fruit took away the hardness of the glass and on the other side added something that had a magical effect on me.
Since then, my enthusiasm for fabrics in combination with my photographs has steadily increased. Today I exclusively use Japanese fabrics for my works, some of which are contemporary and particularly manufactured for me, or fabrics that originate from the Edo period or the Meiji era.