Abstract of the accomplished photographic work
Etching (2024)
Etchings were created in nature but not far from the urban environment. The etchings that traumatize the images, the scratched paper that emerges from within, symbolize the destruction of nature and the alienation. Sometimes the crack heals, others a cut is formed that disrupts the landscape, a hole leads to a void. In the images the etching is formed on an already existing element of space. A crack in the rocks, a gap in the greenery, or a ray of light captures my own impression of the location I photographed. I am interested in the process of etching, where the materiality dominates, but also in the connection between the photographed landscape and the print as a material that constitutes a substitute for the absent image. It may reveal what lies behind the image. What seems to be there is the emptiness with all its details and hacks emerging.
Description of the project you intend to pursue through the Prize
Over the recent years, the last sources of oxygen in Athens are rapidly shrinking due to successive fires and unregulated building of areas near mountains. The project I intend to develop is about these remaining areas in Attica. This work is an attempt to approach nature, as well as a commentary on how we affect our environment inadvertently or intentionally.
The series will present landscapes in various areas in Athens, with my in situ interventions and constructions in the space. These interventions will be made with natural materials, such as handmade paper made by myself or leaves and branches from the area. These constructions will be organically incorporated into the space and also witness the human presence.
In the book, the work will adhere a typological sequence of images, which will be printed on handmade paper. The binding of the book will also be handmade, using a Japanese bookbinding technique.