Monday, April 25, 2011

"FIELDWORK" (contained creature photography)










"FIELDWORK" represents the first major monograph by Finnish artist Kannisto-is/was this Science meets Nature Photography??? Breaking away from the conventions used for usual nature photography, Kannisto presents her animals/plant-life subjects in a handmade lightbox performance stage that is meant to emphasize the creatures beauty away from its natural habitat. Signs of typically standardized scientific study process-- graph paper, rulers, test field markings---are also included strangely out of place amid the lush green foliage of the rainforests she chooses for her "fieldwork".

Kannisto studied art in Finland. Her photography (she spends months camping out with scientists in the rainforests of Costa Rica and South America) implies containment and taming within constructed spaces (and YES, she uses PHOTOSHOP as her essential "darkroom", although in the Q and A Photoshopping remains a taboo topic for so many hesitant people. I still find that weird)...