I had seen and admired Meike Nixdorf’s work before, as part of Hey Hot Shot in 2011, but in Critical Mass 2012, I spent more time with the images, and found them truly compelling. The color palette, the starkness within the frame seemingly focused on one point of view, yet inhabiting many. As a geologist, the landscapes were captivating, but more than that, as a viewer the images reminded me of how we view and observe the world around us. In constant movement, yet we most often stand in one place.
Take a look.
In the Orbit of El Teide
““In the Orbit of El Teide””, 2010-2011, is a visual and psychological approach to the notion of the perspective.
Since my 2009 project, “”The Point of View””, I have been looking at various aspects of the viewing process and, consequently, decision making in photography, in terms of the perspective and, even more so, the framing. I’ have also been examining the consequences these processes have on the way we perceive specific places by showing them each in multiple, but very similar views.
“In the Orbit of El Teide”” now focuses on the question of what can be seen, or how much information can be gathered, from only one single point of view, versus the information, visual or abstract, one could gather by orbiting an object, question or focus point. In this way, two different points of view of the same subject matter could differ in their look or feel tremendously and might not even be recognized as the same subject matter anymore.
Like pieces in a puzzle, every image from ““In the Orbit of El Teide”” holds different visual aspects of the same subject, in this case the mountain El Teide. But other than a piece in a puzzle, each image appears to strongly stand on its own. And it is only through looking at these images one-by- one that one realizes how much more information, visual aspects, perspectives or stories-to-be-told there are to just one single mountain—or to any subject matter, basically.
About Meike
Meike Nixdorf, born 1976 in Mainz, Germany, is a Berlin based photographer and artist. She has a background in science and was educated in photography and video at the International Center of Photography during her three year stay in New York, 2005-2008.
Her work has been exhibited in the USA, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil and Guatemala and is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro.
In 2012 Meike became a Critical Mass and Fotovisura Grant finalist, was chosen for the HEY, HOT SHOT award by Jen Bekman Projects, New York, and was selected as Open Call finalist at the GuatePhoto Festival, Guatemala.
For more information about Meike Nixdorf, please log onto her website.
wall space gallery | the flat file 