MOTIONGRAPHS 2015-2018

5. Juni 2018 – 16. Juni 2018

The Polish photographer and designer Maciej Markowicz (* 1981) discovered his passion for the antiquarian Camera Obscura technique (lat. dark room) more than 10 years ago. This optical phenomena was used already by Leonardo da Vinci and can be seen as a metaphor for human perception. The Camera Obscura is nothing more than a dark room with a hole (lens) in the wall, in which the picture of the outside world is projected onto the light-sensitive paper. As simple as this technique may seem – to produce images of such intensity and visual beauty as Markowicz does requires years of practice and dedication – estimating the exact exposure time, handling the paper in the pitch-dark room – all of this leads to an abstract vivid paper negative, which is a unique art work. Markowicz had the vision and need to explore the boundaries of photographic expression by putting the Camera Obscura in motion. The initial idea from 2012 was to build a floating camera boat, which wasn’t possible to that time. Instead he built a Camera Obscura into a transporter and used it to photograph New York for 2 years. The floating camera was finally built last year and since then Markowicz traveled thru Europe including Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and finally Hamburg. The artworks, named Motiongraphs, examine the everyday dynamics of water and urban life. They are direct visual records of energy of the visited places which can often be felt but rarely seen. The floating camera used for the images included in this exhibition can be seen in Hamburg (Traditionsschiffhafen) until the end of the exhibition – on request it can be visited.