Geometry of Space

Geometry of Space, 2014

These photographs are made through multiple exposures of a single negative without digital manipulation. Different objects are photographed as layers on top of each other to create spatial sculptural compositions. The work lies at the intersection between painting, photography and sculpture, yet the sculptural quality of these compositions would not be possible without the use of the camera.
I’m interested in exploring photography’s potential to construct an image that would not exist in reality, through traditional means and without digital intervention. The camera is, by nature, a representational device, but it can also be used to abstract reality.

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy was one of the first photographers to believe that “the camera should be liberated from its role of recording the natural world in order to create abstract pictures of light and form”. Coming from a painting background myself, I share his vision in using photography as a tool to create abstract images.

I found inspiration in the geometric elements of Moholy-Nagy’s paintings and decided to construct similar three-dimensional forms out of different types of wood. These pieces, along with other recovered pieces of wood from demolition sites that I photographed in the past, are the building blocks of Geometry of Space. The camera allows me to play with the space, scale and vantage point of these objects, and to compress them into a single image. The geometric forms appear to be floating in space, and each layer of exposure reveals a unique play with transparency and perspective. The use of color is achieved through various filters, which add an extra layer of transparency to the images.

Throughout my previous work, I have always been interested in creating images that lie at the intersection between photography and other artistic media. My process if very photographic, yet the images in Geometry of Space are a hybrid between photography, painting and sculpture.

Alejandra Laviada, 2014