Zeitfänger

2025

Luminogram, Silver Gelatin Print on baryta paper

each 25 x 25 cm
24 1/2, Atelier Augarten, Vienna
24 1/2, Atelier Augarten, Vienna




Photography is a medium closely connected to time. Whenever a picture is taken, a moment is captured. Although time is an essential part of the photographic process, it is rarely the subject itself. The work "Zeitfänger" (Time Catcher) places time at the center, treating it as the photographic subject.

A piece of photoluminescent thread was attached to the second hand of a clock, and the clock was placed on an 8 x 10 inch negative. While the second hand moved, the negative was exposed. This method created a luminogram, an image made without a camera, directly through light on light-sensitive material. After exposure, the negative was photographed again to reverse the image. The reversed negative was then used to create a silver gelatin print.

The fine lines that appear on the paper depict the time I captured in the darkroom. At the same time, they reflect our subjective perception of time. Some forms appear light and fluid, as if time passed quickly. Others seem dense and heavy, as if time moved slowly or almost stood still.