SP w2 Abbott and Plethoramag
- HildeMaassen
- Oct 11, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 15, 2020
In Amsterdam during Unseen I saw two things that I like to write about in this post because to me they are related to each other and my work.
The first thing was a magazine called Plethoramag. An amazing piece of art by itself. Beautifully printed and presented in a box. Classic in the design and the content is surprising. It shows art and science together and I want to have all the editions.
They come in a limited edition and the seize is big; 70.5 x 50.5 cm 52 pages
Every number has an own theme. Number 4 was about waves. One of the artist featered in this number is Berenice Abbott who had her own exhibition in Foam at the same moment.
I did some investigation on her photography.
Abbott shows designs and patterns made by nature that is not showed before and she uses photography as a medium. Using photography is a realistic medium, to her, appropriate to a realistic and scientific age. It fitted in with the speed of the time she lived in.
The images were produced to explain and show mechanism such as the working of soap or gravity of a bal. The goal was that by making science familiar to the public, they would be increasingly interested in supporting scientific inquiry.
To make the images Abbott invented her own cameras or lenses. One of them being the supersight camera in 1945. She used that one to make the soap images.
Abbott explained her motivation in the following terms: ‘The idea was to interpret science sensibly, with good proportion, good balance, and good lighting, so we could understand it’.
For Abbott these are not simply attractive designs abstracted from phenomena but first of all proof and demonstration of science ideas through photography.
I really like the more scientific approach and the outcomes. I don't go that deep with my photography and I am not precise enough; it requires a more planned approach, but it interests me and my work sometimes rubs against it.
Felice Frankel is a modern science photographer.
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