Volcanic Rocks

Baer Art Centre, Iceland, 2015

A month-long residency program at the Baer Art Centre in Iceland gave me the opportunity to focus on my personal fascination for volcanic islands. In particular, it is the richness of textures, forms and colour nuances inherent to volcanic geology that seduces me. The once fluid minerals have set in the most extraordinary shapes. Our human brain has the tendency to seek recognisable and often figurative forms in elements that are not necessarily shaped by humans. By foot and horseback I went on a journey to observe and document volcanic surfaces. My aim was to read the rocks from a poetic point of view. I scanned the vast mineral landscape in search of evocative formations that I photographed and later isolated through editing. This resulted in a series of volcanic rock portraits that celebrate nature as sculptor.

With special thanks to Steinunn Jónsdóttir and ‘the gang’

Titles in order of appearance:

Bashed Shield, Black Ghost, Arabian Echo, Chalk Like, Ash Cloud, Reindeer Brain, Tumbled Moon, Tree Stump, Stony Scull, Cubist Man, Mist Fossil, Bracing Frog, Horse Cheek

Size: 420 x 297 mm

Material: High quality prints

Photography: Anouk Vogel