Henrik Spohler (b. 1965, Germany) has worked as a freelance photographer since 1992 and from 2009 he became a professor of Communication Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. In his latest monograph, ‘Hypothesis’ (published by Hartmann Books), he aims to address the world of science and research in analytical documentary images and to raise questions about our relationship to nature and environment. Spohler photographed behind the doors of numerous research institutes throughout the world in order to reveal the foundations and our approach to basic research in science today in regard to physical, chemical, and biological principles of nature.
At first glance, when browsing through the book, one might encounter a feeling of confusion as Spohler’s images are greatly abstract and beyond our understanding. Some images even resemble digital art more than photographs of real, tangible and three-dimensional spaces. The viewer is left to wonder what exactly is being seen, making one’s eye jump from cable to cable or from one colour to another just as if we are suddenly present in a computer game. Spohler’s way of photographing is, therefore, ambiguous. The scarce presence of human beings accentuates this notion even further and additionally highlights the human need for meaning and purpose.
Besides brief explanations of locations and their functions behind each photograph, ‘Hypothesis’ includes an introductory text written by curator and founder of the Fotomuseum Winterthur, Urs Stahel. He describes Spohler’s photographs as a ‘brilliant failure’; not only for their coldness and precision but also through their emphasis on the alien and the subsequent awakened curiosity on the side of the viewer. Particularly, the desire to know what we are capable of and where humanity is heading in the current digital era. However, for the most of us, there is a great disconnection with the contemporary research which makes ‘Hypothesis’ into an ungraspable potentiality.
The title is an expedition ranging from the Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM) in Bremen, Germany to European Southern Observatory (ESO) in La Silla, Chile. Through the unfamiliarity of the presented documentary photographs, Spohler takes us to the realm of beyond. His work highlights a complex and sophisticated scientific system that sets out the future of humanity. ‘Hypothesis’, therefore, invites us to use our imagination and existing knowledge to explore the yet unknown of what soon might become the reality of today.
