FLORASCAPES

The photographic series Florascapes by South African photographer Zak van Biljon mainly shows photographs of lush flower-filled fields and meadows. Altogether, Florascapes is a progression of van Biljon’s on-going series titled Modernizing Nature. The images convince the viewer not only because of the use of the infrared photography technique—the artistic trademark of Zak van Biljon—but also because of the visual experience they evoke. In short, Floras- capes presents itself as an autonomous genre within van Biljon’s Modernizing-nature-universe by expanding the photographer’s main interests in a subtle yet skillful way. Meaning, the photographs further analyze the intersection of nature, modernity, humanity, and technology. So, what actually does happen to us when we dive into these infrared flower fields?

Dichotomous Microcosm
In his Florascapes, Zak van Biljon creates a microcosm of dichotomies that playfully stimulate and surprise the viewer on various levels. On a first level, the infrared images of flower fields, meadows, and pastures demand the viewer’s full attention. In doing so, the photographs reveal themselves to be monu- mental organic constructs. This effect can primarily be explained by the photograph’s bright colors as well as by the dynamic structures which seem to be hiding on the picture’s surface. In other words, we can hardly turn our gaze away from the amazingly saturated color structures of the photographs. But let us remember that flowers are, in fact, some of nature’s most gracious creations and therefore, when we look at van Biljon’s Florascapes, a complex tension field opens up in which gravitas and grace engage in fruitful dialogue with each other. For the flowers that can be seen in van Biljon’s photographs appear to be in a state in which they are inconspicuous and imposing at the same time. Meaning, the overall appearance of the photographic flower fields, which are nothing short of spectacular, points to the filigree lightness of the individual pedals, which, in essence, are the building blocks of the fields and meadows presented by van Biljon. The two states or gravitas and grace are mutually dependent and reaffirm the dualism present in the photograph—one cannot exist without the other.

On another level, the Florascapes hint at a sublime interplay between detail and fragment. Zak van Biljon successfully puts his photographs in a state of composition that oscillates between detailed and fragmentary. This oscillation of sorts stems, on the one hand, from the chosen image section, and, on the other hand, from the organic character of the image subject. Firstly, We see a field of infrared colors that appears to be infinite, and only on second or third glance, we notice the rich details of the flowers and their petals. When looking at Zak van Biljon’s Florascapes, we look at an excerpt of untouched na- ture whose details define the location but by no means specify it. This leads to a process of anonymization which does not allow for an accurate localization. In total, we are granted an intimate viewer experience where we are moved by the photograph’s details and colors but we are also allowed to simply admire and come to a rest.

Impressionist Viewer Experience

Due to the present dichotomies, the Florascapes photographs exceed a classic viewer experience. The photographs cannot simply be viewed, they have
to be experienced with movement. This can simply be explained by the attraction these dream-like naturescapes have on the viewer. The aforementioned dichotomies can only be discovered if we regard the photographs up-close as well as from afar. Meaning, the image structures change depending on the distance between us and the photograph which then in turn calls for an immersive viewer experience. Thus, it is not surprising, that not only the viewing ex- perience that accompanies Zak van Biljon’s flower-field-photographs but also their pointillist structures make us think of the impressionist movement of the 19th Century.

The impressionists explored the changeability of light by means of short painterly studies where they realized that light and shadow appear to change color depending on the time of day. Because of this, impressionists adopted a fast painting style in order to capture sudden changes in light. The resulting images, in short, concern themselves with the overall light conditions of the natural environment. Similarly to this, Zak van Biljon makes light and color the main actors in his photography. Thus, the connection of these photographs to the Impressionists of the 19th Century manifests itself partly in the infrared photography technique, and partly in the image subject itself. The meadows and fields of the Florascapes series appear in—to our eyes—unnatural colors. Many of the impressionists’ nature studies fascinate us to this day precisely because of their surprising, unusual, and often even unnatural color ranges. Yet, while the impressionists painted with oil on canvas, Zak van Biljon paints with light on photographic paper—after all, photography literally means ‚drawing with light‘. And precisely because van Biljon directs his camera towards the subject of nature, the resulting images emphasize his correlation to the plein air painters of the past. Van Biljon makes the vibrant color ranges which had previously only been suspected by the impressionists, visible to the modern view- er. The flowers, petals, shrubs, and grasses appear, at first glance, to be autonomous color accents within the composition and only upon closer inspection they transform into an overall structure that, in turn, demands an active visual participation from the viewer. Here too, we perceive a complex dualism that shows itself in the form of an interplay between nature and technology. In short, Zak van Biljon accepts nature as an active partner in his creative process, so that organic growth and technological progress can meet and merge. Nature, traditionally associated with deceleration, joins forces, in van Biljon’s photo- graphs, with the photographic technique, that is traditionally associated with the speed of our modern world.

In his florascapes, Zak van Biljon lets us glimpse into his personal experience with nature and he allows for a complex field of interpretation to be opened up by the viewer. We are allowed and even encouraged to project and perceive our own relationship with nature, light, and color in these pictures. Perhaps we feel reminded of a nightly drive through a city whose lights blur past us, overwhelm us and electrify us. Maybe, we feel like we have entered a dream in which we are allowed to have a rest on a magnificent meadow. Or maybe, while looking at these photographs, we remember the Impressionists and their playful splashes of color. If we decide to immerse ourselves in the dazzling wold of the florascapes, we choose to open ourselves up to the moving visual experience that accompanies these pictures. And this experience turns out to be universal and individual at the same time. In Zak van Biljon’s photo- graphs, nature’s most fragile products—flowers, petals, and weeds—merge into an artistic composition that borders on abstraction and invites us to prolong our contemplation due to the apparent dualisms. In this way, van Biljon condenses aspects of the human experience with nature in his photographs and challenges the humanity’s understanding of color and light.

Gwendolyn Faessler