Winged

A FASHION SERIES by Esther Haase

Esther Haase, Susanna Kraus

Photographed in the IMAGO Camera

The exhibition presents an unpublished selection from the ‘Beflügelt’ (Winged) series, born as a collaboration between fashion and experimental photography.

The experiment began in 2014, when the fashion photographer Esther Haase (Hamburg / London) discovered and used first the IMAGO Camera in Berlin. Susanna Kraus, artist and operational head behind IMAGO put all of her skills in handling the IMAGO camera at her service. This was how Esther Haase explored the potential of combining professional fashion shoots and bulky, analog, 1: 1 photography in a single project. The photographs were produced by the application of various analogue techniques by Susanna Kraus and the conceptual eye of Esther Haase.

A limited edition of unique black and white prints was created through an exceptional teamwork: three diverse models took part into the project with special support of the stylist Irina Skladkowski and the makeup artist Gabrielle Theurer. The hat creations were designed by Philip Traecy, Queen Elizabeth’s hat maker.

The fashion series leads us into the fantastical world of IMAGO, the giant one-of-a-kind camera based in Berlin. The models are immersed in an evanescent and dreamy aura, for the aim is to value the fleeting moment in the here and now. In fact, no post-processing takes place; all the decisions must be made a moment before pulling the trigger. Each life-size photograph is the result of a single direct exposure; there is no negative. Stage-like images are created directly inside the camera. Both the photographer and the subject enter, and open up their own spaces of creativity in concentrated seclusion.

In addition, a film by Andreas Michael Velten will be screened during the exhibition, showing the process behind the creation of the images themselves.