ST. ELMO'S FIRE

"Everything is in ;lames, the sky with lightning, the water with luminous particles,

and even the very masts are pointed with a blue flame."

Charles Darwin, 1832

Lightning shoots across the sky, nature magically transforms through the depths of time,

invisible to the naked eye. The St. Elmo's ;ire has always fascinated people.

Electrical discharges out of the darkness, freeze, and bloom are played by chance and

control. Each time images are drawn, none is like the other.

Always fascinating to capture nature and make it visible in its dynamics, unpredictability

and uniqueness. As if the universe was held for a moment. The force of nature in the

form of energy discharges into light for the fraction of a second and this moment of the

present is drawn on a photosensitive surface. Electric sparks spit out blue arcs, beating

the photo paper surface and drawing the ;inest lines. The observer dives in, feels as part

of these primeval forces in front of the large-format shots. It is as if the primal forces of

St. Elmo's were ;ires in the middle of the room. The connection to the natural landscape

with its phenomena is within reach. The viewer literally feels the discharge of energy

and merges with nature, the universe is looking at it self. The enormous electrical energy

is generated with a Tesla coil, it releases a charge of 400,000 volts.

One-off explosions of electrical discharges on Cibachrome in the format of 50 x 50

inches. The blue gradients with metallic effect on the brilliant Cibachrome lead to an

unusual sharpness. This large photograph shows in detail the remarkable effects of

depicting light photons, leaving a mystic drawing of the universe.

These images bring us back to the present, reminding us of our physical transience and

the eternity of space. During those working process "Bolts of Blue" turns the air into the

"Zone of Ozone“.