In the realm of contemporary photography, Felix Schoeppner stands out as a conceptual artist who challenges the boundaries between art and everyday life. His work, marked by meticulous construction and a deep exploration of themes like labor, technology, and perception, offers a unique perspective on the future of work and the human condition. This article delves into Schoeppner's creative process, his fascination with scientific concepts, and the personal journey that led him to create the thought-provoking series 'Handle with Care'.
A Unique Artistic Journey
Schoeppner's artistic path is an intriguing blend of personal experiences and technical training. Growing up near Frankfurt, surrounded by the world of architecture, he initially considered following in his parents' footsteps. However, a borrowed camera and a skateboarding session ignited his passion for photography. His studies in Communication Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt provided a strong technical foundation, particularly in lighting and precision. Yet, he deliberately kept still life at arm's length, only to later embrace it as a space for conceptual thinking and personal expression.
The Shift to Still Life and Conceptual Thinking
The turning point came with a series of personal events, including a relationship ending and a cancer diagnosis. These experiences disrupted his documentary project, 'Artificial Landscapes', and led him to a workshop at RAY Fotografieprojekte Frankfurt.RheinMain, led by Arno Rafael Minkkinen. This intuitive and bodily-engaged approach to photography resonated deeply with Schoeppner, offering a therapeutic outlet for his emotions. He found solace in still life, a medium that allowed him to explore conceptual thinking and personal narratives.
Cognition and the Exploration of Everyday Materials
Schoeppner's series 'Cognition' marked the public arrival of his new direction. It features everyday materials, familiar objects, and scientific reference points, arranged in ways that challenge the viewer's perception. The solar system image, for instance, took three days to create, showcasing his meticulous attention to detail. This series, included in the exhibition 'Bauhaus und die Fotografie – Zum neuen Sehen in der Gegenwartskunst' for the Bauhaus centenary, demonstrated his ability to blend scientific concepts with everyday objects in captivating ways.
Handle with Care: A Deep Dive into Labor and Automation
Schoeppner's graduation project, 'Handle with Care', takes his practice further, exploring the relationship between work, technology, and control. The project was sparked by his interest in how people become inventive when trying to avoid tasks they don't want to engage with. He developed the 'mouse movers', devices designed to simulate user activity on a computer while the person is absent, highlighting the tension between presence, productivity, and control. The project also reflects on over-engineering and optimisation, translating these concepts into a visual language that oscillates between functionality and exaggeration.
The Technical Process and Personal Touch
Schoeppner's technical process is a blend of precision and intentional imperfection. He builds models that can exist independently of the photograph, using materials like chipboard and aluminium profiles. His lighting approach has evolved, with some objects containing built-in light sources, creating a sense of a constructed environment. He uses focus stacking for tools and a shallow depth of field for spatial ambiguity in the mouse movers. His choice of perspective is guided by intuition, often mirroring human perception. Post-production is restrained, with editing focusing on refining the image rather than altering it fundamentally.
The Future of Work and the Human Condition
'Handle with Care' raises deeper questions about the future of work and the human condition. It explores the relationship between presence, productivity, and control, particularly in the context of remote work and automation. The project highlights the ingenuity of humans in developing tools and systems to make work easier and more bearable, but also to distance themselves from it. It invites viewers to reflect on the relevance of the traditional model of exchanging time for money and the potential of a system based on output or efficiency.
In conclusion, Felix Schoeppner's work is a testament to the power of art to challenge and inspire. His exploration of labor, technology, and perception through meticulously constructed images offers a unique perspective on the human condition and the future of work. 'Handle with Care' is a thought-provoking project that invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of our relationship to work and the potential of technology to both enhance and complicate our lives.
