A BEWILDERING KALEIDOSCOPE
Bangkok, through the eyes of artist Marcelo Von Schwartz, like you’ve never seen it before
Have you ever been so tired of life to the point that you want to escape into a different dimension? Marcelo Von Schwartz, an Argentinian film director, architect, art photographer and sound architect, attempts to find a way into that dimension. In his solo exhibition “Escape”, which runs at RMA Institute (Sukhumvit 22) until Nov 4, Bangkok’s waterways are warped into wormholes, buildings are turned into anti-gravitational spaceships, and streets are distorted to become little worlds that puts viewers into a trance-like state.
Walking in the shadows of great writers such as Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino and great artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Piranesi — all whom created vivid and parallel universes with their own imaginations — Von Schwartz, through photography, created his own impossible spaces.
“I create architectural photography of non-existing spaces,” Marcelo explains. “I like to use photography because it’s a kind of objective media we trust. The idea is to show in a kind of realistic way, some impossible spaces and make people go through the window into these spaces.
“In the history of architecture, there’s a totally parallel history from visionary architects which for me is much more interesting. They were people imagining things that were impossible to build today, but maybe in the future it is. That’s why we sometimes see amazing buildings that someone was dreaming about half a century ago. For me, this is the interesting thing. I prefer visionary architecture more than the real world.”
Von Schwartz describes working with photography like a sculpture. Not using any new technology like 360 degree photos, all the manipulation is made post production. He cuts, reproduces and sometimes extrudes the image, always making sure to work with very precise geometrical rules.
Familiar vistas of Bangkok then look like they’ve been through a kaleidoscope, beautiful Thai temples turn into floating Vimanas temples from Hindu scripture, and Bangkok’s skytrains look like they’ve come straight out of The Fifth Element.
“I wanted to use the [picture] frame as a reproduction of a window frame,” he explained. “It’s as if we are looking through a window, and as if we’re escaping through the window.”
“It’s my escape,” he continued. “This is actually an exercise that has helped me escape outside the reality of the everyday. I like it when people, days later, tell me that they can’t get this impossible space out of their minds. I like to show in a photographic way that you can go [somewhere else]...I like to also show the beauty of imaginary things. I like to show the people disturbing and different realities. But it doesn’t have to be disturbing in a bad way. Sometimes it’s disturbing because you can’t find [anything like] this in reality.”