A smash hit
GERMAN PHOTOGRAPHER MARTIN KLIMAS FINDS BEAUTY IN DESTRUCTION.
Tell us: how were these images created? I used extremely highspeed photography, dropping the figurines from a height of four metres and letting them smash on the floor of my studio. I controlled the camera with a noise trigger, so effectively, I only had to let them fall in the right position to trip the camera’s shutter release and get the shot.
When did you first start playing around with this technique?
I first began with simple things like wine bottles and coffee cans. In 2002, I started making photo series using the technique, and they constantly evolved over the years that followed. In 2007, I created the “Flowervases” series, where vases were shot with steel bullets and captured at the moment of their destruction. I use porcelain and ceramics because it is breakable and affordable, and smashing it creates a massive and complex event.
How many attempts does it take to get the right shot? Do you go through a lot of different figurines? Up to now, I must have used hundreds of dolls. I have many failures until I get a good shot, because the figurine has to hit the floor perfectly aligned and vertical with its base. The base must absorb a lot of kinetic energy produced from the fall, then do a little jump so all the parts that smash off fly in the air. I could only use these shots, as the rest don’t look agile or alive.
Where do the figurines come from? At first I looked at flea markets, then I went on ebay to buy them. I found the kung-fu figurines at a Chinese supermarket around the corner. It gives the work a really good turn – I let them fall in pairs to give the impression of a fight. Later, I imported many kung-fu figurines directly from the manufacturer, which is in the Chinese porcelain city, Jingdezhen.
What’s your obsession with dropping and smashing things?
I’m fascinated by the degree of stillness in pictures made with high-speed photography. To catch something out of the flow of time, to find the perfect moment, is what photographers are always looking for. Also, porcelain figurines are not perceived as art so much these days, but there is wonderful work in them. It’s a fascinating world of craftsmanship existing for hundreds of years in Europe and long before in China – it was one of the first high-tech industries in the world.
How does this series fit in with the rest of your work? I often build something like a machine to produce my images. One device I built translated music into pictures: I used liquid paint positioned on cloth over a speaker. When the volume was turned up, the vibration of the speaker sent the paint up in the air in patterns. The question behind it was what music could look like.
Where can we see more of your stuff? At martin-klimas.de or on Instagram at @martin.klimas.