Camouflage

Digital photos, 2005

In the photos I wished to create a situation in which the viewer is confronted with the presence of a foreign, ominous object in a typical urban scene. The object should engage the viewer in actively trying to envision the contents or purpose of the object. The camouflage cover suggests the idea of something which is purposefully trying to hide or has been hidden, but can also secretly observe that which it hides from. The scale and shape suggest an organic content, and also refers to images of body bags and other containers used to conceal, carry or store (organic) material. Its military connotations makes it out-of-place in the city and adds a level of tension – is it part of a covert operation or an experiment gone wrong?

This project is in many ways a continuation of my previous series of photos, ‘Urban Scenes’, but instead of the digital insertion of a foreign mass into a scene, the insertion this time is real.