WONDERBOX

Artist’s statement - Alexandra Opie
In Wonder Box, I am interested in what philosopher Willem Flusser calls the project of photography itself—to understand the difference between sight and photographic representation, to anticipate and capture the interaction of light and chemistry. In close studies of plant specimens, photographed using nineteenth-century wet collodion technology, I create lush, highly detailed images with evident chemical traces that instill a fresh sense of wonder in the ordinary. When faced with familiar objects rendered with the intensity of wet collodion at a highly magnified scale, we see details of the world around us with fresh eyes.

In order to create the studies in this series, I have built large experimental cameras and immersed myself in antique photographic forms. Wet collodion photographs are notable for the intensity with which they record details and texture. This effect is due both to the intense quality of fine silver particles and to the peculiar light sensitivity of wet collodion processes. Unlike modern films or digital media which have been formulated to capture light as we see it, wet collodion captures light outside of our visual spectrum.

• Photo Book Specifications
  
• Photo Book Size: US Letter (8.5 x 11 in / 216 x 279 mm)
  
• Page Count: 60 Pages
  
• Interior Color: Color Premium
  
• Paper Type: 80# White
  
• Photo Book Binding: Linen Wrap
  
• Linen Color: Black
  
• Foil Stamp Color: Black
  
• Spine Foil Stamp Title: Wonderbox
  
• Spine Foil Stamp Author: NO ARCHITECTURE
  
• Cover Finish: Matte