Stephan is an artist who focuses on story telling through specialized photography techniques. As an early collaborator on Aisthisi, we have been privileged to have such a dynamic style as part of the project’s Genesis Harvest.
Check out more of his work via his website.
Stephan recently shared his background as an artist, perspective on photography, and thoughts on NFTs!
Can you give an intro about yourself?
I am based in Graz, where I graduated from university (applied linguistics) and from the “Academy for Applied Photography”. Over several years, I’ve mostly worked in analogue photography, also in developing and enlarging photos (black and white). One of my most distinguishing fields of artistic work is the “on-wall photography”: it is an analogue enlarging process of a negative onto a wall.
From time to time, I escape the frame and work beyond photography. Last year I got an Artist-in-Residence invitation to South Korea (which changed to this year, due to Covid). There, my project is a combination of on-wall and analogue extreme-macro photography, as an installation in the surrounding forest.
Why did you choose to collaborate on Aisthisi?
I was asked if I could imagine taking part in this project. Since I have been purchasing olive oil from Greece for many years and have a close relationship with this country, especially the region which this oil comes from, it was important to me to establish contact with such a valuable natural product on an artistic level. While researching this oil, I came up with the idea for my artistic contribution.
What are your strengths and/or focus as an artist?
I have been focusing almost exclusively on analogue photography for several years. This has resulted in two ongoing projects:
I already mentioned one, the on-wall photography, which is an imaging process that I (further) developed with my own formula. Like Secco painting, a photograph is attached to a suitable wall (or even other kinds of surfaces). The other project is (analogue) extreme macro photography. From a certain magnification factor (around 3:1) the photographed objects are on one hand still tangible and recognizable, yet at the same time this factor creates a new level. The object shown is in a gray area, for the human eye, between visible and no longer visible. The perception of a tangible thing is switched here, which fascinates me deeply.
In general, I enjoy different approaches for creating, so this idea — with the handcrafted bottles of olive oil — seems to fit me very well.
Can you describe your day to day as an artist?
Basically, there is no day off (or night off), as an artist I always work 24/7. That might sound exhausting, but it is not a job that is equally intense for 24 hours, though there is no easing up on inspiration. I am most active after waking up (in the morning or sometimes in the middle of the night), as my eyes have not yet perceived any stimuli (I am the visual type through and through) and my brain has recovered after the break of sleeping. I therefore always need the opportunity to take notes, as sequences of thoughts in this state like to flow richly and develop further. This also applies to planning the implementation of ideas. My favorite work time is right after I get up, after drinking herbal tea and black tea and doing yoga, even before I’ve washed or eaten. Get up, flush out and stretch the body, and then begin. Everything else can wait.
Can you tell us your story of joining the crypto/NFT space?
Unfortunately, I can’t tell too long of a story because I got here. As we say in German “wie die Jungfrau zum Kind”, by accident, but that doesn’t spoil my fascination for it.
Thoughts on the future for NFTs and crypto?
In general, it seems exciting to me, when a new field opens up for an artistic approach. How I cope with it and how I manage to have a creative (input and) output is like the topic itself: a kind of development.
What are you considering for your NFT art piece?
I deal with the extraction of Koroneiki oil and consequently its characteristics. The decisive factor for this oil, which is obtained by using the Omphakinon process, are the suspended particles. Under UV light, they transform the oil into a warm, red and velvety medium. This shade of red is a marker for the quality and sustainability of the extraction of the oil. In my artwork the redness is contrasted by the dark to light blue shining olive tree leaves. One might think that old craftsmanship cannot be combined with new technology, but that is a fallacy, as there is a symbiosis that lets the tried and tested shine in a new color scheme. The leaves, which on one hand dip into the oil and on the other hand emerge from it again, symbolize the reappearance, the circle of nature. The olive trees have been cultivated under the warming Greek sun since the Bronze Age. Their fruits, the olives, are harvested by hand and the oil is extracted under gentle conditions. Like yin and yang, blue and red oppose each other, and in the same way are they fused together. The ecological background comes to the fore. The oil shines in all its warmth under the cool ultraviolet light.
The animation is a colorful extension of the complementary opposites.
The image was taken with a Hasselblad 503CX with bellows and 80mm lens and scanned after development.
We will continue to share more about the collaborating artists and overall project progress, so join our community to catch the latest info!
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