What is metrospektive?
The term is a combination of the word "Metro" and the german word "Retrospektive". The pictures of metrospektive are abstract collages, which are generated by overlapping individual photos of subway stations.
What does metrospektive want?
Metrospektive aims at changing the way we perceive everyday occurrences. They should encourage the viewer to acquire a new perspective on every-day things and therefore break through rigid perception patterns.
The observer is required to have a second look at the pictures of metrospektive. At first sight he is convinced that he has an abstract painting in front of him. But at second glance he discovers that the assumed painting is actually a photo collage with details of different subway stations. The pictures therefore want to encourage the beholder to question his view of day-to-day issues.
Which techniques have been used?
It needs two steps to complete a collage: At first digital photos need to be taken of the various subway stations and its architectural details. In a second step the single pictures are arranged in a collage, without any digital manipulation or tidying up. Each series is located in a different city. Furthermore in one picture there can only be combined stations from a subway line, that follows one direction in order to raise the recognition value.
The collages are created by multiple overlapping. That approach attains a completely new visual effect, which can not be found in real life pictures. By the interaction and mixture of forms and colours the collages achieve a modification of photography as a medium. That is because the collages seem to be abstract oil paintings but are instead a groundbreaking combination of painting and photography. Therefore this complex and time-consuming method is called Foto-Supoismus (translated from latin: superponieren means overlapping).
metrospektive is not just committed to one specific style in art history but reflects different style periods of the 20th century. The collages are arranged by aesthetic means and its impact on the observer. The specific styles of the subway stations also affect the final results.
Retrospective is inspired by the paintings of the 20th century and their influence becomes evident in the used colours, forms, contrasts, combinations and overlappings.