HELMUT GIERSIEFEN
Crime Scenes (Signed and numbered edition of 200)
Published by X SurMesure / Patrick Remy Studio, 2020
Book size 27.5 x 21.5 cm
Pages 88 pages
47 images
Hardcover
Limited edition of 200 copies
Numbered and signed by the artist
ISBN 9-782957001309
They are usually hidden at the edge of the forest or in clearings, in ensembles, with trees, bushes or electrical pylons. Most are made of wood to adapt perfectly to their environment. High seats are constructions used for hunting from a hide. Sitting above the wind to avoid being detected by wild animals, the hunter is hidden in ambush. Helmut Giersiefen calls “scenes of crime” these watchtowers composing his photo series of analogous black and white photographs.
While they come only in 6 basic shapes, the viewer is fascinated by the 'architectural' diversity of these high seats that photographer Helmut Giersiefen calls “anonymous wooden sculptures in nature.” He uses a special black and white film called Washi to photograph them in their respective surroundings, which gives his views the eerie atmosphere of a crime scene.
Produced by a small factory in Saint-Nazaire (France), the Washi film is made by applying photographic emulsion by hand to Moriki paper. Washi means “handmade translucent paper” in Japanese. The orthochromatic film has a low sensitivity (25 ISO/15°) and high gradation. It requires the photographer to very accurately assess the lighting conditions and contrast range of his motif. The analog baryte prints offer astonishing tonal richness and surprising graphic effects. The origin of the term “photography” comes from Ancient Greek – photós (light) and graphein (drawing). The series “Scenes of crime” by Helmut Giersiefen combines the presentation of typological motifs with the original concept of photography – drawing with light.
--------They are usually hidden on the edge of the forest or in clearings, in groups, with trees, bushes or electricity pylons. Most are made of wood to adapt perfectly to their environment. The high seats are constructions used for hunting from a hide. Sitting above the wind to avoid being detected by wild animals, the hunter is hidden in ambush. Helmut Giersiefen calls these watchtowers composing his series of black and white analogue photographs "crime scenes".
Although they only come in 6 basic forms, the viewer is fascinated by the "architectural" diversity of these high chairs, which photographer Helmut Giersiefen calls "anonymous wooden sculptures in nature". He uses a special black and white film called Washi to photograph them in their respective environments, which gives his views the eerie atmosphere of a crime scene.
Produced by a small factory in Saint-Nazaire (France), Washi film is made by manually applying a photographic emulsion to Moriki paper. Washi means “translucent handmade paper” in Japanese. Orthochromatic film has a low sensitivity (25 ISO / 15 °) and high gradation. This requires the photographer to very precisely assess the lighting conditions and the contrast range of his motif. Analog baryta prints offer astonishing tonal richness and surprising graphic effects. The origin of the term “photography” comes from the ancient Greek – photós (light) and graphein (drawing). Helmut Giersiefen’s series “Crime Scenes” combines the presentation of typological motifs with the original concept of photography – drawing with light.