In an era dominated by digital imagery where the image often feels transient and fleeting, the photographic project I had the privilege to examine offers a profound meditation on the lifecycle of visual art. Through bold experimentation with water and the decomposition of slide film emulsion, the artist has achieved something remarkable: incredibly oneiric and conceptual images that exude new life, born from the death of the original photographs.

Water, a primal element and symbol of transformation and regeneration, becomes the catalyst for this creative process. In an act of artistic transfiguration, the artist allows water to penetrate the film emulsion, initiating a controlled decomposition process. What emerges from this interplay between matter and fluidity is an artwork that challenges our perception and invites us to contemplate the very concept of transience and rebirth.

The resulting images are ethereal visions that oscillate between the real and the unreal, the tangible and the ephemeral. Through their intrinsic beauty and conceptual ambiguity, they compel us to confront the fragility of existence and the transformative power of water. In this process of metamorphosis, the original dead images are transcended, revealing layers of meaning and emotion that would otherwise have remained buried in oblivion.

The photographic project in question thus represents an ode to life, death, and rebirth. Through its masterful manipulation of traditional photographic mediums and universal symbols of water, the artist offers us a deeply engaging aesthetic and conceptual experience. In a world increasingly dominated by speed and ephemerality, these images remind us that even in the darkness of decomposition, there is always the possibility of new life.

The project was selected to participate in Centrale Festival 2024, held in Fano from June 7 to June 23, 2024.

Urbino, 2024

Photography
Lorenzo Urgesi

Supervisor
Paola Binante