artist statement
Geologists now refer to our era as the Anthropocene, the epoch in which human disturbance surpasses other geological forces. This term is still new and full of contradictions. Some see it as the triumph of humanity, but I see it the other way around: unintentionally and unplanned, humans have made a mess of our planet.
Over the past centuries we have convinced ourselves that we as humans are above nature. This has led to things like rising sea levels, large-scale deforestation and climate change. These things make me uncomfortable. Creating art helps me to better understand this state of discomfort. I visualize my feelings with photo projects.
An essential aspect of my work is the detailed research on location, which is the starting point for site-specific photographic experiments. History, biology and chemistry are research-relevant anchor points for analog photographic interventions.
In my practice I use the analogue photographic medium for various reasons. The slowness of analog techniques helps me slow down in this fast-paced, modern life. I like to utilize the materiality of the medium to create deeper layers within my photographs. For my project, 'invisible roots' I combined baryta prints with fungi and in 'After it drowns', I photographed dikes that broke in 1953 and caused major floods in the southwest of the Netherlands. I put the negatives in a glass jar with salt water at exactly the same time that the polder was flooded. Which affected the negatives.
(Pol Sangster, Zeeland, 2003)
Geologists now refer to our era as the Anthropocene, the epoch in which human disturbance surpasses other geological forces. This term is still new and full of contradictions. Some see it as the triumph of humanity, but I see it the other way around: unintentionally and unplanned, humans have made a mess of our planet.
Over the past centuries we have convinced ourselves that we as humans are above nature. This has led to things like rising sea levels, large-scale deforestation and climate change. These things make me uncomfortable. Creating art helps me to better understand this state of discomfort. I visualize my feelings with photo projects.
An essential aspect of my work is the detailed research on location, which is the starting point for site-specific photographic experiments. History, biology and chemistry are research-relevant anchor points for analog photographic interventions.
In my practice I use the analogue photographic medium for various reasons. The slowness of analog techniques helps me slow down in this fast-paced, modern life. I like to utilize the materiality of the medium to create deeper layers within my photographs. For my project, 'invisible roots' I combined baryta prints with fungi and in 'After it drowns', I photographed dikes that broke in 1953 and caused major floods in the southwest of the Netherlands. I put the negatives in a glass jar with salt water at exactly the same time that the polder was flooded. Which affected the negatives.
(Pol Sangster, Zeeland, 2003)
contact
Email: polsangster@gmail.com
+31 6 11446650
Instagram: @polsangster
I am open for commisions, and will try to awnser all questions.
Dont be hesitant, reach out!