Fotograf Magazine

My artist’s book Treasure in the Background is a small revolt against
commercial product photography. My aim was to look for everyday
objects and inspect their function and position in relation to their
environment. Commercial photography is not my field whic h is why
I consider this piece of work as a challenge I am imposing on myself by
choosing such issue.
     The creative process was preceded by a long survey of what
unsettles me so much about this genre. The omnipresent consumerism
excludes the existence of anything perpetual and defines consumption
as a basic need. We measure the value of our life by consumption in the
sense of ownership, enjoyment, and production.
     Should I deviate from the moral aspect and focus on the technical
aspect of the issue, I must point out the stereotypes and first-plan-only  approach ubiquitous in product photography and hinted at by the title of
the book: Treasure in the Background. Usually, the object has a central
role; the background is suppressed in order to let every det ail stand
out. When it is not so, the background creates mood, as is the case of
product catalogues.
     While I can understand these principles, I wanted like to know what
happens when I turn them inside out, destroy these stereotypes and head
in another, perhaps even opposite, direction. I’m not selling anything,
I only point out things which already lost their function or, alternatively,
got a new function. All I want is to capture them in their natural
environment, left to the mercy of destiny.