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The
Project
In the beginning of 2012, photographer Thomas Kellner received a surprising
E-Mail from Yekaterinburg in the Russian Urals, to form a project with
exhibition and book for the city’s anniversary in 2013, because Yekaterinburg
was founded almost 300 years ago, by Georg Wilhem Henning, a Siegen Citizen.
This was barely known and Thomas Kellner started his research and is now
finalizing genius loci.
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During the years of study Thomas Kellner began to work with pinhole cameras in the subject of art which built the basis for his approach he is following to the present day. In his early works experimenting with material, photographic methods and contents was crucial. It included building pinhole cameras himself in order to adopt them to the purpose he was aiming at.
The results reflect a diversity of styles and subjects. They range from multiple perspectives within one photograph over documentary to photograms. In this period he always printed full editions so that today there is a large number of a vintage print for later exhibitions.
At the end of the nineties then Thomas focused on the analogue camera and 35 mm film. He developed a visual language and method that deconstructs and constructs objects at the same time.
Now, since already 15 years, he is working in a worldwide unique style of contactsheets, photographing the object in numerous singular shots until in the end the object is visible in its entirety again. The film-material Thomas is using is transparent for the recipient as well because the single shots are assembled together as negatives. Therefore perforation, codification and numbers of the film-material are part of the positive.
“What I was viewing was not a single photograph but an entire orchestration of shots, with the format of the contact sheet serving to freeze and destabilize these atomistic particles at the same time.”
Kellner, T., Wendorf, R., 2008. All shook up. Thomas Kellner Photographs The Boston Athenaeum. Boston: Susan Morse Hilles Bicentennial Fund.
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genius loci
Photobook
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In 2013 Thomas Kellner photographed important companies and establishments in Siegerland and South-Westphalia in Germany and went several times to Russia to take pictures there from chosen regions and their industrial architecture.
These photographs will be published in the book “genius loci” to show the heretofore little-known connection between Siegen and the Russian Urals as well as the beauty of the respective industrial cultures. In the size of 12 x 10 inches and with approximately 120 pages the photo-book will tell us new and interesting facts about the industrial history of Siegen, the life of its native citizen Georg Wilhelm Henning and the work of Thomas Kellner as an artist. Approximately 30 images will portray the industrially important enterprises as representatives of their regions to show their connection to steel and metal.
Thomas Kellner is looking forward to familiarize the two regions, Siegen and the Russian Urals, with each other through this project both, economically and culturally, and to call the “genius loci” alias Georg Wilhelm Henning to mind.
Thank you for your help making this book possible.
Book Details
Text: Essay by Artjem Berkovich, Dr. Andreas Bingener, Dr. Irina Chmyreva
Design: Marc Babenschneider, inspirit - graphicbureau
Photographs: approx. 30 in color
Size: approx. 12 x 10 inches
Retail price: 39.80 Euro
Publication date: 22 November 2013
Publisher: seltmann+söhne
Rewards
Pledge $10 or more
Receive acknowledgment in “genius loci” website and an invitation to the book launch in Siegen/Germany
Estimated delivery: Dec 2013
Pledge $50 or more
Received a signed copy of genius loci, acknowledgment on “genius loci” website and an invitation to the book launch in Siegen/Germany
Estimated delivery: Dec 2013
Add $29 USD to ship outside Germany
Pledge $100 or more
Receive a signed copy of my recent book “Houston we’ve had a problem”, a signed copy of “genius loci”, acknowledgment on genius loci website and an invitation to the book launch in Siegen/Germany
Estimated delivery: Dec 2013
Add $29 USD to ship outside Germany
Pledge $200 or more
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82#02 Yekaterinburg, Cathedral on the Blood 2012 C-Print 22,7 x 42 cm
Receive a signed copy of the special edition print “Cathedral on the blood” (edition 100) available to indiegogo backers only; plus Receive a signed copy of my recent book “Houston we’ve had a problem”, a signed copy of “genius loci”, acknowledgment on genius loci website and an invitation to the book launch in Siegen/Germany
Estimated delivery: Dec 2013
Add $29 USD to ship outside Germany
Pledge $2,500 or more
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82#20 Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant 2013 C-Print 91 x 59,5 cm / 36" x 24"
Limited 12
Receive the cover image of genius loci 36-by-24-inch limited-edition photograph, signed and numbered in an edition of 12+3, a signed copy of genius loci, acknowledgment on “genius loci” website and an invitation to the book launch in Siegen/Germany
Estimated delivery: Dec 2013
Add $300 USD to ship outside Germany
Thomas Kellner
Thomas
Kellner was born in Bonn in 1966. He
studied Art and Social Sciences at the University of Siegen and is working
since 1997 as professional artist in the field of photography in Siegen. Exhibitions of his photographs have been mounted in galleries including London, Paris, Brasilia and New York. Museums, like
the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Museum of Modern Art Rio de Janeiro have
already integrated his works in their compilation. Numerous exhibitions showed
his photography in national and international venues. Important major projects
of the last years were his works for the bicentenary anniversary of the Boston
Athenaeum and the fifty-year-old anniversary of the capital Brasília.
seltmann+söhne
Formed in 2004, the name
says it all. In close cooperation with the Seltmann printer company,
established in 1870, two generations of printers and designers work hand in
hand.
The goal is to make and
publish books of the highest quality in printing technology, design and
content. The focus of the publisher is on art and photo books.
Spread the Word!
After pledging your support, please help to spread the word about this
project by sharing this link with your contacts.
Thank you for your support!