Method | Martin Klimas
Bau-Xi Gallery
Founded one of Canada's most established contemporary fine art galleries.
Martin Klimas is a German photographer who uses the latest advancements in high-speed photography to capture a split second of movement. In his Flowervases series, Klimas photographs elegant still-life scenes - floral arrangements in delicate flower vases - in the instant that they are blown to pieces by a projectile, creating a dramatic tension between the placidity of the subject matter and the chaos of its destruction.
Klimas began experimenting with high-speed photography in 2002 when he became fascinated by the degree of stillness the technology could create in a photograph. He started by capturing the destruction of items like wine bottles and coffee cans, and eventually progressed to working with vases and flower arrangements in 2007, feeling that this subject matter offered a more narrative, poetic aspect necessary for a series.
Klimas’ begins each series and each shoot with thorough research. He often finds inspiration from unexpected sources during this process, especially scientific photographs of flora and fauna. While he is inspired to explore the same subject matter found in these starkly details images, he builds a unique setting for them and shoots using a dynamic process that brings them into an artistic, and fascinating context.
