Black holes have a ‘point of no return’ beyond which nothing comes back; not even light can escape. In physics these so-called outer and inner event horizons are considered gateways to the future and bridges into parallel universes. Martine Stig travelled to cities that are on the verge of transition and captured glimpses of the future with her camera’s eye. Each photo of Cauchy Horizons seems to be part of a database of images that can be classified according to its futuristic themes. Would it be possible to envision what lies beyond the matrix of visual culture? Or is this our own point of no return?
Cauchy Horizons is an ‘investigation into the language of science fiction cinema’. It presents pictures taken in four cities ‘on the verge of transition to capture glimpses of the future. Stig tries to mirror photography’s constitutional characteristic to capture the present for future use. Instead of using the medium as a tool to peek into history, she uses it to get a glimpse of the future. Researching Sci-Fi films – old & new – Stig noticed striking visual resemblance in how it is portrayed. Despite new technologies, conventions are evidently required to enable us to speak about our time to come. By categorizing Sci-Fi’s depicted subjects and camera positions, she learned the grammar of our future’s visual language.
For the series Stig went to Tunis, Shenzhen, Geneva / CERN and Athens. She looked for spheres and symmetry in four cities that are in transition; political, economical or scientific. Where the ‘now’ is significant and the future is intriguing. Cauchy Horizons bends photography’s claim to truth. It exposes a visual language as self-fulfilling prophecy but foremost uses the medium to show Other Worlds.
Martine Stig (1972 born in Nijmegen) studied at the Royal Academy of fine arts, The Hague and Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. She lives and works in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Cauchy Horizons is her first publication with Kodoji Press.
