What role does fiction have in our perception of reality? French photographer Cedric Delsaux pursued this line of thought all the way to another universe and the results are stunning - stormtroopers from faraway galaxies collide with the dusty landscapes of Dubai in The Dark Lens exhibition, a series of photographs that juxtapose iconic characters from Star Wars into urban landscapes.
Why did you choose Dubai? What inspired you to use the Dubai landscape as the backdrop for Star Wars characters?
I usually spend a reasonably short period of time on a project; typically I finish with an exhibition and then move on to the next. However, The Dark Lens is the only ongoing photography project I've ever had and it began four years ago. The first part of the project, shot in Paris, has a more direct approach: one character from the Star Wars series set in an urban landscape. The strong confrontation of both elements was the essential part of the process. When I started the second series, in Lille, the landscapes began to gain importance and took centre stage, thus superseded the original confrontation aspect. This marked the beginning of a dual dimension, set in reality and fantasy. I further developed this theme in my books Nous Resterons sur Terre and A Common Destiny, which brought me to Dubai. I realised that Dubai would be the next and final step for my Star Wars saga. I stayed here for a week in June 2008 for the book and came back for two weeks in February for the Star Wars landscapes.
Dubai offered the synthesis of both previous works. Even the craziest parts of Dubai appear to be common, as the city is built on superlatives - the biggest, highest, most expensive, most creative. The whole city is a set that you discover with eyes wide open in disbelief. Is all of this real? At times I was faced with such gigantic things that I ended up doubting the reality of it all. I instantly knew that all the characters from the Star Wars galaxies would be at home here. I guess the main question my work brings to mind is that of fiction. Where does it start? What role does it have in our perception of reality? And finally, are we able to conceive reality first without - thus even against our own will - creating fiction?
Why is Star Wars such a compelling subject? How did the Paris one go?
The starting point of my ambiguous relationship with reality was a project called La Vitrine des Choses set in the north of France. I photographed ordinary places, warehouses, harbours and houses that I tried to render extraordinary by setting them in a particular frame and experimenting with lighting. I continued this project in the suburbs of Paris but realised that there was something missing since the images no longer seemed that extraordinary.
It was at this point that I decided to introduce sci-fi characters. The internet made it possible for my first Star Wars series to be seen all over the world. I was astonished by the whole thing and obviously over the moon. The first series won a photography prize, gained a lot of publicity and the world of galleries followed, everything seemed to flow like a dream.
Star Wars was a part of my childhood like many kids my age, but I wasn't a fan. It wasn't necessarily my chosen genre - nevertheless, the power of Star War films overtakes the sci-fi genre by a mile. Few films have ever been capable of creating a complete cosmogony with whole universes, and characters. The droids, 30 years on, are incredibly contemporary and for me represent one of the biggest cinematographic accomplishments. George Lucas was the first to bring science fiction out of its elitist state into the public eye.
Has George Lucas seen your work?
In the beginning, I was a little worried because when I started working on the series I had no idea that it would become an instant hit. Once the press and internet got hold of it, I started worrying if it would plunge me into a legal battle; rumour has it that George Lucas has very tough lawyers. After a few months of intense publicity I got the call I'd been dreading from one of the art directors at Lucas Film. Luckily it turned out to be a friendly call. He requested an interview for the Lucas Film magazine because he said, they absolutely loved my work! They'd obviously realised that though it was an unlawful usage of Star Wars it was a sincere and complete work of art. We are actually in the process of editing a book containing all the series which will have full rights and the official Star Wars logo, which is a great recognition.
On average, how much time did you spend on each photograph?
There's no rule. Some were done quickly, easily even, while others took a lot of time and effort, with several attempts and a few were abandoned along the way. Nevertheless, the process was the same for all three episodes in the sense that the landscape was the most important part. When I went out to scout for location, I usually projected myself into another world - on to a strange, faraway planet in another galaxy. This was the foundation of the whole process. When I discovered a suitable place, I'd wait for the right light then go back later with my photo equipment. And then it's all studio work - retouching the figurines into the landscapes. The fact that some of the figurines were of poor finish or just simple toys made the process quite tricky. So a day out scouting and a day in the studio and another for the re-touching, give or take a day or so.
How big are the action figures that you used in the shoot?
I used all sorts of figurines - from 5 to 40cm high, in fact all the figurines I could get my hands on! For the Dubai series, I took it a step further by introducing one character using 3D imagery and some on a scale of 1:1 using actors in costumes. I'll leave it to the audience to find out which is which...
If you had to use another movie to fuel a photography exhibition, which one would it be?
If I started the same process based on another movie it would become a thing, a business. I aim to surprise all and also myself with every new series I produce, and I will therefore never base my work on another movie. I will continue to explore the fine line between photography and cinema, as I feel I am positioned spot on in the middle but I'll be taking other paths.
- The Dark Lens exhibition is on from December 1 at The Empty Quarter Fine Art Photography Gallery, www.theemptyquarter.com
The space-time meddle
Martin Becka's work is a throwback to the old-world charm and romance of photography. He's used methods from the 19th century to capture urban landscapes in Dubai, considered the symbol city of the 21st century. The result is a strange antiquity added to a contemporary urban setting - there is an anachronism of the space-time present in Becka's photographs. The 53-year-old Parisian and former photojournalist uses large format, wooden photographic equipment and negative waxed papers to capture his images; a process invented approximately 160 years ago by Gustave Le Gray.
Your photography technique is unique, but why go through all this trouble?
Between the invention of photography in 1839 and the industrialisation circa 1880, every image photographed involved craftsmanship. The first photographers were so capable and skilled in creating masterpieces from basic chemical compounds, which is the basis of preparing negatives and positives. It was during the early 1980s while I was doing some research on the origins of photography that I found this amazing diversity in the technical processes invented during that period.
These early photographers mastered both the artistic and the technical aspects of the process of taking a photograph. The photography of that period produced some rare material with particular tints not found today. When I started to do my own image creations in line with those of the early photographers, I wanted to try new techniques, which were different to my usual approach. I have been hooked ever since, and now all my work revolves around this technique.
Sourcing your camera and equipment must be a nightmare?
I have gradually gathered my equipment over the years, going to fairs and some specialised houses that sell equipment from that period. Most of it was not in working order, so I had to repair and in some instances adaptations had to be made. The advantage of it being such a simplistic concept, technically speaking, made it easy to repair, as long as we had the literature on the subject. However, through the years my concern has been the paper. To make my negatives and positives, I have to use craft drawing paper that has to be of optimum quality, both from the physical properties of the paper to the chemical composition of the paper, ensuring it is compatible with the chemicals I use. Most of the paper manufactured today uses ingredients and chemicals that are not suitable for this paper. I have tested over 200 types of paper over the years and there are only a handful left that are suitable, and even in this thin margin of choices, the production of three types of paper was discontinued early this year.
Why choose Dubai?
In 2007 at Paris Photo I met Elie Domit, the director of The Empty Quarter Fine Art Photography gallery. My Gallery "Baudoin Lebon" in Paris introduced us. We discussed the possibilities of a collaborative project, and when he saw my urban scapes, he immediately suggested that I take images of Dubai. He was the instigator of the project, and with Dubai being the model city of the 21st century, I was very keen on doing this project.
Has digital photography killed all romance in photography?
This is precisely what has happened. The magic of silver-based photography where the image appears in front of your eyes while in the tray of developer solution no longer exists in the digital world. Digital photography ushered a new relationship with the image. Many feel the work of photographers using digital techniques is not as skillful because it's all about pressing a button, and in 90 per cent of the cases the image is perfect on first attempt.
- Dubai, Transmutations by Martin Becka is on till November 17 at The Empty Quarter Fine Art Photography Gallery.
