leon witthun

Naturselbstdruck I, (Nature print I)

This artwork was inspired by a dove which flew into my window and left markings on the glass. This happening is developing into a series of prints titled Naturselbstdruk, of which this is the first print. This happening also brings to mind the 'Naturselbstdruck', also known as nature-print. This was a 19th century form of scientific image making using mostly plant leaves that where inked and printed on paper. This process references the image to the original specimen. The image created by the dove relates to this process but was mediated by my artmaking processes of tracing and drawing used in lithography. In this work I attempt to convey, amongst other artistic interpretations, the moment of impact. This I do by comparing the lithography processes of utilizing a heavy stone, with the impact against the glass, which originally created a print by means of natural non-artistic processes. The moment of impact distorts the dove but it is still recognizable as a dove.

SARS-Cov-2 photo-booth snapshot We cannot see the virus and thus have difficulty visualizing it and its effect. This is an attempt to visualize the virus differently than what is presented to us through the media. This image represents the genetic code that makes up the virus. The DNA of the virus is made up of about 30 000 basic genetic information units. The four different nucleotide bases that make up the genome, are represented as four letters: a c g and t. The result is a very mechanical form of language. The pinhole photograph of the text adds emotion, albeit ominous emotion. The title refers to photography that is normally reserved for humans, so as to lend persona to the text. Through the blurred vision one cannot see the virus' specific DNA encoded as text.The text in combination with the pinhole photography becomes a representation of the virus.