Frames of fantasy

Cedric Delsaux says he is not a Star Wars fanatic. But the French photographer has produced an amazing series of digital photographs called The Dark Lens/The Dubai Invasion, which introduces characters from the famous sci-fi universe into real-life locations.

This most unusual of exhibitions is running at The Empty Quarter Fine Art Photography Gallery from December 8-31. But what was the idea behind it?

"I wanted to include the Star Wars universe into a real world to create a mix in which everything contradicts itself. It had to appear natural — as though these figurines and vessels had made the real world their home," explained the Parisian photographer.

Ideal place for sci-fi

Delsaux visited Dubai for the first time in 2008, when he was working on another photo series.

"We can almost say Dubai was built to resemble a science-fiction movie," Delsaux said. "I knew the Star Wars characters would feel at home in Dubai. There is something futuristic about the development of the place — it is close to the way science fiction movies are made."

And so he chose the emirate as his backdrop for the third episode of his Dark Lens trilogy. "Dubai, originally based on sand, is the result of man's ability to have a vision and make it a reality ... and this makes me want to explore it with photographs," he said.

In the two previous Dark Lens episodes, he took pictures of common places in the Paris suburbs and Lille and recreated the lighting to shoot Star Wars collector figurines and reintegrate them into the photo.

"I wanted to show how the most common places can become strange behind a photographer's lens," he explained.

Delsaux uses Attakus Star Wars statues and works with George Lucas special-effect modelmakers to create real-world locations. By combining Star Wars real-size models with urban architecture, Delsaux has created images that are unique — and disconcerting.

Cosmos of fantasy

So why Star Wars? "It's the only saga that attempted to recreate a universe," he said.

His favourite characters are C-3PO and the Battle Droid. The latest was not produced on the market, so he had the army created in 3-D.

Delsaux has won the Kodak Prize for his landscape and architecture photos with his Star Wars on Earth series in 2005 and was selected by the Leurzer's Archive as one of the "200 Best Ad Photographers Worldwide" in 2006. The Dark Lens book will be out in September 2010.

The Dark Lens / The Dubai Invasion

Where: The Empty Quarter Fine Art Photography Gallery, The Gate Village Building 02, DIFC

Opening and reception: December 8, from 7-10pm

Exhibition dates and timings: December 9-31, 9am-10pm (Sunday-Saturday) and 3-10pm (Friday)

The technique

First Cedric Delsaux looks for places to shoot and goes back to take pictures with the right light. He shoots different locations while imagining the scenes (Star Wars characters and vessels) that he can introduce them into. Then in his studio, he shoots all the Star Wars characters, clips them and reintegrates them into the background of the picture after recreating the lighting.