Heliography Project 1827-2027

Miniatures / Uniques

From the First Photograph to AI-Generated Images

Since Joseph Nicéphore Niépce created the oldest surviving photograph in the world in the year 1827, the way we produce and view images has significantly changed. From heliography to Google Street View and AI-generated images, the Heliography project 1827–2027 explores this evolution.

The Magic of Images

I derive my subjects in part from Google Street View, in part by photographing them with my smartphone, or by creating them digitally through photomontages. I expose the internegatives to sunlight on metal plates coated with light-sensitive asphalt emulsion during the summer. This historical process traces back to the early experiments of Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1822, which contributed to the development of permanent photographic images. It is particularly the transfer of digital images onto asphalt that breathes new life into them. Their transformation into a physical form, subject to the ravages of time and destruction, restores the original magic of the individual image. Only in this real incarnation can digital images unfold their impact on the viewer. As bearers of memory and evidence of the impermanence of the moment, they reclaim their potential in the context of Roland Barthes’ reflections on photography. In this way, the image becomes not only a vessel of memory but also a vital part of a reality that cannot be fully captured in the digital world