• All

    The foundation of Unearthed lies in two opposite movements. Firstly the outward one (the objective). I try to engage the world as openly as possible, putting aside preconceived ideas of subject matter and form. My goal is simply to experience. To try to capture the essence of the experience I use the macro lens as my tool. It serves as my microscope, and through it I engage the objects I encounter - my discoveries. Initially there seems to be no hierarchy of these discoveries, as they all contain their own unique visual secrets or traits. As a result, I get the sense that in every location; room, field or street, there is an image waiting to be found. This is the fuel that carries the project forward. I always have the feeling that there is more to be had. More to reveal and examine. The images interest me on many different levels. For example, similar patterns begin to emerge from within completely different materials, revealing that in the world of the very small, movements and structures begin to assimilate each other. This idea fascinates me, while – from a biological and chemical standpoint – everything is built from the same molecular building blocks. And I feel that is why I as a human being, made from exactly the same resources, feel deeply connected to this whole process. In other words, I search for logic or coherence in what can seem a chaotic existence. In this sense, the work can also be viewed as a quest for unity, or a cosmic whole, if you will. Furthermore, time as a transformative force is also very present in the work. All things – animate or inanimate – undergo different stages of presence or vibrancy of life. Everything is in an everlasting state of change, and my photographic images offer a way to capture this transformation of matter, albeit in a very fleeting way. And then we arrive at the second movement; the inward one (the subjective). As referred to by the title Unearthed, I feel that the work is deeply connected to the metaphorical idea of “digging up” something from the soil and revealing it. To me this is the core of Unearthed. I went into the project without a clear cut narrative, but as the images started to appear they became pieces of a greater puzzle. Titled chapters were formed containing various numbers of the selected images, which also received short names reflecting what I saw as their primary appearance, sensation or quality. Many of the original photographs became sketches forming completely new ideas and visual manifestations. This approach has granted me a framework from which I find it natural to display the work, and established the hierarchy lacking in the first phase. However, the puzzle is in no sense complete, or might never be. At the moment there are five chapters, but many more could follow and enrich the tapestry of Unearthed. In a way, I feel like the mad scientist searching high and low for the next clue or piece of evidence to prove his theory. In this case, however, there is no thesis, just a desire to delve into the unbounded visual potential of all that is us.
  • The Void

    The Void The Void was created during a difficult time in my life, in which I was trying to sort out a lot of personal issues. It thus became a sturdy line to which I could hold firm when I otherwise would have fallen. A guiding light in a tunnel of darkness if you will. As a concept, The Void, is built around a poem I wrote in Prague 2011. The poem and the style of photographs I was taking at the time seemed to fuse and I knew I had a project on my hands. The poem deals with the idea of an individual facing a society or world, which he can’t or won’t comprehend. A loner dwarfed by some majestic force outside his grasp. It also introduces themes such as the construction of the self, primordial powers and the search for coherence in an incoherent life. From these words and emotions sprang a series of stark black & white images – 13 in total – that I wanted to form a greater whole. It was my intention to create a labyrinthine universe with stark contrasts, geometric shapes, verticals, horizontals and sharp angels. An urban universe completely without the trace of people, and only small glimpses of Mother Nature. I tried to make it vibrate between the “real” world we all inhabit and a conceived one of the mind’s eye. Thus, welcome to The Void.
  • Marie Schmidt

    The headline of this project was "Efterlysning". It served as a missing person add for Marie Schmidt - a fictional character/artist created by the show's curators. The idea was to challenge us photographers to create our own idea of who Marie Schmidt was, if she ever existed, and how to make her visible in a photographic sense. Inspired by the sensation of a real search for this person, I choose to create distorted night images hinting of something lost in the dark. And maybe a fatal encounter..