Jesper Helbo

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.