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SCENOGRAPHY (1984-94)
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Concerning “Photographic Simulations”
“Simulations Photographiques” (“Photographic Simulations”) is a body of photographic works that I made between 1990 and 1994. These are part of what I called “Scenographies Molles” as a generic term for spatial works containing ‘soft’ sculptures. The “Scenographies Molles” are protean forms that can be “walk-in” spaces, “Reduced Forms”, or “Photographic Simulations”. The “walk-in” spaces are built full scale with sewn and stuffed fabric elements. “Reduced Form” are reduced spaces to be looked at and projected into, made of cardboard and clay elements. “Photographic Simulations” define a ‘mock space’ in 2-dimensional form. Shifting between these modes of perception is the process of transforming scale, shrinkage, or enlargement, as well as asserting their equivalence. A “Reduced Form” held in hand can be mentally huge and penetrated, while a large, long sculpture element can disappear unobtrusively in a corner.
I made the “Photographic Simulations” works over the course of 4 years. My principle was always same: a setup constructed for taking the photo in a rudimentary way with a 2-wall and floor structure, clay, painted cardboard, paper or other elements ‘occupying’ the created space. I often used opened books as walls. And catalogs, because I like repetition and the flat equivalence of such layouts in presenting objects, whether shoes, jewels, hairdressers’ products. I built the space with its’ content in a precarious balance, taking anything at hand to consolidate the roughly assembled structure and the hung elements, and shot the picture quickly before destroying or dismantling everything. There was no technical fuss or lighting. These were like actions. The “Photographic Simulations” works were never really finalized until now (2023). I decided to give them a definite form and size (45 x 30 cm), and selected 46 works out of 115 scanned negative films (or 10 x 15 paper prints when film was unusable), that were printed, mounted on dibond 2mm to constitute the final body of work. This is the new outcome of “Photographic Simulations”.
Mara Goldberg, March 2023
A “Photographic Simulation” was published in ‘Tout art contre la Guerre’ (1991), another printed as my exhibition invitation (Revue Éclair, 1991) and a third as a postcard (La Zonmééé 1994). Some were printed out in 2001.