Artefacts of Reality - Matthew Albanese

Wildfire - Matthew Albanese

Recently, I reflected a lot about childhood memories and things that had an influence on me in my youth.
I guess when you're in your early 30ies, many people start to look back on their lives seriously for the first time. It can be a very melancholic trip into the past, remembering what we loved or hated most in our childhood, what we managed to workout, people who always stayed with us or friends we lost sight of them.
During my studies on Scenographical Design or research for my blog, I saw the works of some artists who specifically try to create images or parallel realities that capture moments from their childhood or variations of memories. Some photographers turn into model makers who recreate environments that are dealing with real historical background and events, but with their very own tone and often surrealistic moods (for example Paolo Ventura, Alan Rolfson, or Jiang Pengyi - I wrote about them some time ago..).

I very like the idea of "recreating memories". 

Instead of carrying around pleasant or unpleasant memories from your early days with you, you can visualize them, make them visible and create something new simultaneously. I think it's the same thing which is always a part of creative processes. But sometimes photographers, painters or writers as well are bold enough to focus on the pure mood of these specific moments in their work. When you look at it, you may be fascinated, confused or touched by very subtle feelings. 

Similar to a typical David Lynch movie - you can feel the presence of strange ghosts and moods which seem to come directly from a stranger's mind, and at the same time the story and basic elements are set in our reality and physicality as we (seem to) know it.

Strangely, the very first artist who catched my eye when I started this blog, was Matthew Albanese indeed. 

For some reason, I never managed to write a post about him and his phenomenal work until today. I admire his work because it's quiet exactly this kind of model and photography work I always wanted to experiment with. During my studies of Scenographical Design, I had the opportunity to create some small scaled "alternative realities" which I partly based on childhood memories and moods I wanted to express. I was very fascinated by it and Albanese's work is the perfect advancement of this experimental work.
Of course, his work is epic and far more sophisticated than mine. You can clearly notice his professional background as a photographer and the enormous efforts he put into this studio work.
 

I don't want to say or explain too much about this selection of images, just look for yourself.. ;-)

A New Life # 1 - Matthew Albanese

After the Storm - Matthew Albanese

A New Life # 2 - Matthew Albanese

A New Life # 2 (Making of) - Matthew Albanese

Box of Lightning - Matthew Albanese

Dead little things - Matthew Albanese

Breaking Point - Matthew Albanese

Breaking Point (Making of) - Matthew Albanese

Wildfire (Making of) - Matthew Albanese

Tornado - Matthew Albanese

All images above @Copyright Matthew Albanese

http://www.matthewalbanese.com/

Once upon a time in space - David DiMichele

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 1

The D-Word

What is your personal definition of the word "dimension" ?

Honestly, it's one of my favorite words, even if I don't use it that often. Surely, that comes from my lifelong passion for science-fiction and its various connection to the D-word. It could mean anything, in so many different ways. You could get reminded immediately on issues about space travel and wormholes. And especially if you're a true Trekkie like me, you think on Kirk, Spock, Data and Co., who were dealing with all these complex problems, involving "dimensions" in a very scientific sense.
Speaking of the realms, deep in space, I'm trying to imagine what my self-written plot of a Sci-fi movie would be like. What kind of story would I like to tell ? Is it just about traveling into space or through spaces ? Diving into some completely different kind of spaces, spaces which have an influence on the travelers themselves ? Is it about the journey into space or the connection between the places and subjects and travelers ?
As you can see, even thinking about the D-word seems to be some kind of exploration that makes the whole thing so fascinating and obviously endless. Or are there any boundaries ? Because our minds get easily caught in one big loop as well ?

Well, when abstract theoretical journeys start to go in circles, you need one or two fixed points. Real facts that are definite. Or a picture. And there we are.
Looking at a stunning, unique picture can lead to many more questions, or, it can end all discussions at once. In a silent, but effective way.

This time I want to introduce you a photographer and artist who gives the D-word a real, visual meaning. At least in my opinion. I always liked the phrase "where no man has gone before.." Yeah, of course only a trekkie can say that. But i mean it in a different, more subtle way. David DiMichele uses modeling and photography to illustrate the D-word in a very unique, impressive way.
Maybe you don't think that much about space travel and astrophysics when you look at these amazing pictures. But I do. I see new realms and dimensions within or outside our known universe, where impossible things seem possible and ordinary order implodes. Just like that. I love it.

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 2

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 3

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 4

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 5

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 6

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 7

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 8

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 9

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 10

David DiMichele - Pseudodocumentation / 11

All Copyright for the pictures above - @David DiMichele

www.daviddimichele.com

Coming soon - Once upon a time in space ...

Hi there.

A sneak preview to my next post ... ;-)

The Steampunk Universe - Part Four / Prometheus vs Jules Verne

Title Poster from "20000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1954)

This is gonna be a special post about the Steampunk style.

One of the fascinating things are these crossover elements in movies, design or, for example, music. The same mood, the same notions which are transferred into different media, expressing the same idea.

Steampunk can also be quiet a transparent thing.

In 2012, there were two movies which I was most anxious to see: "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Prometheus".

Ridley Scott's visionary and iconic "Alien" is one of my absolute favorite and essential examples of sci-fi production design (I'll write about it in a further post, as I once announced). "Prometheus" marks the great return of this knighted british filmmaker to his roots and a revival of the "Alien" saga. A mixture of prequel, reboot and extension of it. See it as whatever you want, I rather consider the movie as a more sophisticated prequel. Anyway, it's also a most welcome rejection of the terrible, poorly received "Alien vs Predator" series.

The Production Design of "Prometheus" is almost perfectly done. Almost, because its design is built on its predecessor "Alien" and basically upgrades it on a state-of-the-art (digital) level, without loosing its unique look. They also added a lot of new details and gadgets, and every single detail, regarding the visuals, the sound and make-up design, is really, really well done. But after all, there's nothing about it which we didn't see yet so far in another sci-fi movie or concept art. There are a lot of elements and visuals that stunned me when watching "Prometheus" (in 3D). I could write a lot about the creatures, the cinematography, the lightning, the characters. But one aspect that occurred to me in particular was the resemblance of the protagonists' space suits to some old diving suits design, as seen on illustrations of Jules Verne's underwater stories.

I've always been very fascinated by any Retro-futuristic Design. And if I discover any slight elements of it in a movie's production design or another media, I'm immediately captured by it and feel the urge to make connections to other experiences with that kind of design. This wonderful subcultural variation of retro design is very present in Jules Verne's visions too, of course.

Still from "Prometheus" (2012)

The suits

Beside all the high-tech materials and gadgets the Prometheus crew members' suits are equipped with, their general look reminds me a lot of old fashioned diving suits. Sure, you could relate almost every sci-fi based design to some historical, maybe primitive (earthly) technical equipment which must have inspired modern designers and filmmakers. 

I even guess that Ridley Scott's team had a look at the typical alien space suits in the 50s or, the illustrations and movie of Jules Verne's "20'000 leagues under the sea" (1954). But especially the Prometheus suits remind me strongly on these old diving (and exploring) suits.

Still from "Prometheus" (2012)

The exploring

The basic situation - a group of people (mostly scientists) walking on unknown grounds and exploring new territories or creatures, is common in so many sci-fi and fantasy stories. From Star Trek's "Away-Teams" to Jules Verne's diving squads and now the crew of the Prometheus. 

Ridley Scotts sends his protagonists back to the roots of Science-Fiction and lets them discover and struggle on an unknown planet, facing the greatest mysteries of mankind's origins. The moments before the crew leaves the ship and puts on the helmets, or communicates with each other during the trip, are filled with this specific mood which is typical for the beginning of an adventure. 

Still from "Prometheus" (2012)

Still from "Prometheus" (2012)

Still from "Prometheus" (2012)

Still from "Prometheus" (2012)

Ancient equipment and ghosts of the depth

I truly love the combination of old fashioned hardware technology and the concept of a science-fiction mission - in outer space, underwater or wherever it takes place.
Other examples of movies which are (in my opinion) somehow connected to this notion are "Stargate" (1994) or "Sphere" (1997). Being in the desert and exploring ancient pyramids and fighting against highly sophisticated "gods" or diving deeper and deeper into the sea, until you discover an alien legacy. For some reason I've always been fascinated by diving suits. Some passionate divers I know personally, always tell me about the fascinating aspect of being isolated and in a state of loneliness, when you're underwater on your own. You not only have to consider a lot of technical procedure, it's also absolutely necessary to know how to breath and react in certain situations when you're down there.
Moving in a non-CO2 based alien atmosphere and being on a scientific mission can be quiet the same actually.

Diving suit by the Carmagnolle brothers (1882) - the first anthropomorphic design

Diving suit by Chester E. McDuffee (1911)

Diving suit concept by Karl Heinrich Klingert (1797)

Space suit design from the movie "Sunshine" (2007)

All stills from "Prometheus":  Copyright 2012 ©20th Century Fox
Space suit design from "Sunshine":  Copyright 2007 ©Fox Searchlight Pictures