Lost in Translation
Looking for meanings in words, images and sounds
Guest Challenge: Perspective and Anti-Perspective for Black & White Sunday
Tobias:
Why black and white? I can think of several answers to that question, one of them being: Because it is abstract; after all you leave out colour. Another answer could be: Because black and white photography is a wonderful way to tackle geometry.
Hopping aboard a different train of thought, I remember Hans Belting, a German art historian, stating that a camera is machine for making perspectives. Looking further into perspective, I learned that some Avant-Garde Artists of the Renaissance era claimed that perspective was about geometry (my German source for this claim is Albrecht Dürer, but I am sure there are also Italian sources).
Perspective – geometry – black and white photography: This is how things seem to connect. Against this background, I would like you to challenge the idea that perspective is inevitable in a photo. If you like, make two photos of the same object: One containing as much and the other one as little perspective as you can.
(And if you really get interested in this topic: Study the work of Ellsworth Kelly. I think he teaches us a lot not only about abstraction but also about perspective.)
Perspective and
Lost in Translation 
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These are clever images. The first image tells it’s own story. Yes, this is a photo of twigs in front of a steeple. That makes sense. The second image is far more abstract – is it a photo of twigs or is an ink brush painting. All in all, a very interesting challenge. Here’s my contribution http://artifactsandfictions.com/2015/05/03/black-and-white-sunday-perspective/
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‘Abstract’ being one of the key words here… Thanks for giving this a thought.
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Tobias, thank you very much for being a host here today and for providing us with a real challenge 🙂
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It is a pleasure!
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A real challenge indeed, provoking very interesting photos. Thank you.
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this is very cool
feels Escher like – with a camera twist –
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Fascinating photos
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Interesting post and photos. Great photos make us think a bit more
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Thanks … I like that idea.
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I so agree with you, Raewyn. I liked this challenge a lot 🙂
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Very interesting. I’m off to think what I may share in return.
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This is a bit mind-blowing so early in my morning!
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I can imagine – this is how I felt when I first got Tobias’s mail suggesting this post 😀
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(I just posted some pictures from which I tried to ban perspective today – but they belong to a different context and unfortunately do not work in black and white. So this is just an aside, hoping they transport the idea. Paula, I hope this is okay.)
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Hi Tobias. What post of yours are you talking about. I’m at work, but I’ll try to have a look.
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The recent one. “Kurhaus II”.
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oh the Monday walk one. It is cool 🙂
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Thanks for this interesting challenge Tobias. As you already know, your mention of Avant-Garde led me down on this strange path – a path that I almost certainly wouldn’t have taken without your mention of it. So, thanks again for the inspiration.
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Hi Tobias and Paula, this was a very interesting challenge. Thanks.
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