honorable mention
Romy Gallina germany
title
LICHTWERKE Series "Elemente"
I‘m fascinated by the genuineness of photography, the material, the emulsion, the haptics - all things that no longer exist in digital photography. The LICHTWERKE are a synthesis of analogue, original forms of photography and digitization in the form of scanned, enlarged works in LED Lightboxes and Alu Dibond/Metal Prints. I want to show where and how photography originated, which means exposure in the original sense. The reproduction of the works is digitally possible, however, there is only one unique „original“ in the form of the processed slide/negative. This is at the same time also the certificate of authenticity, it has value, similar to art.
In my academic career in communication design with a focus on photography I spent most of my time in the darkroom – and since my early childhood I have additionally loved all forms of painting and craftsmanship of real materials and elements of nature. I always sought to unite these two original passions, which I achieved for the first time in 2001 in an experiment with marine images, reworked with a brush and salt water on negative strips.
For more than ten years I experimented with a wide variety of techniques on analogue film material, producing more than 200 LICHTWERKE. I subsequently traveled to Iceland in 2013 to find, record and collect the most original forms of nature. In my studio, I have since been processing elements such as sulfur, lava, salt and fire on slides and negatives into luminous works that are able to express the power and beauty of nature to a greater extent and at the same time create new dimensions of nature in the combination of the elements.
She started her career as a photography assistant in London and as a trainee at Leo Burnett in Copenhagen, worked as a freelancer in Munich and eventually took her position as Art Director/Chief Creative Officer, leading a team of designers at publishing house arsEdition, one of Germany‘s largest gift and children‘s book publishers – a company of Swedish media group Bonnier. For 15 years she has been responsible for the entire book and product design as well as corporate design and published a large number of her own works. 2019 she foundet the „publishing atelier“.
In her fine art photography project LICHTWERKE she combines her great passions – nature and creativity – from early childhood, when she wandered throught the forest with her father‘s and grandfather‘s camera equipment and her sketch book. In her home workshop she lived her creativity day in and day out with various materials and techniques, such as painting and drawing, glass engraving and plaster modeling, drilling and hammering, sawing and sewing, printing and bookbinding – experimenting with everything by hand. She reuses all these materials, cameras and tools in her studio in Landsberg am Lech today – and lend wings to her creative roots.
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entry description
For my LICHTWERKE I edit analogue film material with manual techniques and then scan these 35 mm unique pieces of art.I‘m fascinated by the genuineness of photography, the material, the emulsion, the haptics - all things that no longer exist in digital photography. The LICHTWERKE are a synthesis of analogue, original forms of photography and digitization in the form of scanned, enlarged works in LED Lightboxes and Alu Dibond/Metal Prints. I want to show where and how photography originated, which means exposure in the original sense. The reproduction of the works is digitally possible, however, there is only one unique „original“ in the form of the processed slide/negative. This is at the same time also the certificate of authenticity, it has value, similar to art.
In my academic career in communication design with a focus on photography I spent most of my time in the darkroom – and since my early childhood I have additionally loved all forms of painting and craftsmanship of real materials and elements of nature. I always sought to unite these two original passions, which I achieved for the first time in 2001 in an experiment with marine images, reworked with a brush and salt water on negative strips.
For more than ten years I experimented with a wide variety of techniques on analogue film material, producing more than 200 LICHTWERKE. I subsequently traveled to Iceland in 2013 to find, record and collect the most original forms of nature. In my studio, I have since been processing elements such as sulfur, lava, salt and fire on slides and negatives into luminous works that are able to express the power and beauty of nature to a greater extent and at the same time create new dimensions of nature in the combination of the elements.
about the photographer
Romy Gallina (Pohl) was born in 1980 and studied communication design at Munich University with a focus on photography and book design. She is a member of the renowned German Society of Photography (DGPh – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photography) and recently received a HONORABLE MENTION 2019 at the IPA International Photography Award and a HONORABLE MENTION 2019/2020 at the TGA 14th Pollux Award.She started her career as a photography assistant in London and as a trainee at Leo Burnett in Copenhagen, worked as a freelancer in Munich and eventually took her position as Art Director/Chief Creative Officer, leading a team of designers at publishing house arsEdition, one of Germany‘s largest gift and children‘s book publishers – a company of Swedish media group Bonnier. For 15 years she has been responsible for the entire book and product design as well as corporate design and published a large number of her own works. 2019 she foundet the „publishing atelier“.
In her fine art photography project LICHTWERKE she combines her great passions – nature and creativity – from early childhood, when she wandered throught the forest with her father‘s and grandfather‘s camera equipment and her sketch book. In her home workshop she lived her creativity day in and day out with various materials and techniques, such as painting and drawing, glass engraving and plaster modeling, drilling and hammering, sawing and sewing, printing and bookbinding – experimenting with everything by hand. She reuses all these materials, cameras and tools in her studio in Landsberg am Lech today – and lend wings to her creative roots.
back to gallery