Element

Element by Nicolai Howalt is an ongoing study of the elements in nature and especially their capacity to be converted.

The photographic series continues Howalt’s experiments in the field of tension between photography, history, science and art. Howalt uses science as an approach to creating photographic studies on themes such as death and light.

In Elements Howalt has photographed a number of selected elements in their original and found form. With an almost scientific thoroughness, he transferred and induced these photographs (e.g. silver, iron, copper, sulfur and gold) in plates of different materiality. The plates (e.g. aluminum, brass and iron) are processed within a photographic emulsion (silver bromide) to which the photographs are exposed. In this photographic process each object come into view with a unique texture. The chemical compound creates new transformations between the subject alloy and process, which thus becomes the evocative element.