Michael G. Prais Fragments Photographs Into Chaos in Context & Chaos Series
Michael G. Prais, a photographer based in Geneva, Illinois, develops the Context & Chaos series by digitally slicing images into tiny rectangles and reassembling them, which retains identifiable elements while disrupting spatial coherence. This technique creates a dynamic interplay between recognition and chaos. The series features three books that present fragmented and rearranged photographs alongside text. Hailing from Dearborn, Michigan, Prais pursued studies in chemistry and mathematics at the University of Chicago before obtaining a doctorate in chemical physics from UC San Diego. He has taught at Roosevelt University and led Academic Computing Services at Northern Illinois University. His work, influenced by prominent photographers, has been showcased in numerous galleries, emphasizing sunlight and shadow in historic neighborhoods.
Key facts
- Michael G. Prais is based in Geneva, Illinois.
- His Context & Chaos series digitally cuts photographs into hundreds of small rectangular images and randomly reassembles them.
- The series developed from Out of Context into Out of Context into Chaos.
- Prais earned a doctorate in chemical physics from the University of California, San Diego.
- He studied chemistry and mathematics at the University of Chicago.
- He began making photographs seriously in 1996 after supporting an Adobe Photoshop installation for an art department.
- He published Photographic Exposure Calculations and Camera Operation.
- His work has appeared through A Smith Gallery's Photographic Performance program and in exhibitions associated with Praxis Photo Arts Center, Blue Sky Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts, Atlanta Photography Group, and the Los Angeles Center of Photography.
Entities
Artists
- Michael G. Prais
- Stephen Shore
- Walker Evans
- William Eggleston
- Lee Friedlander
- Roy DeCarava
- Jeff Wall
- Cindy Sherman
- Lucas Samaras
Institutions
- University of Chicago
- University of California, San Diego
- Roosevelt University
- Northern Illinois University
- Adobe
- A Smith Gallery
- Praxis Photo Arts Center
- Blue Sky Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts
- Atlanta Photography Group
- Los Angeles Center of Photography
- Lenscratch
- AATONAU
Locations
- Geneva
- Illinois
- United States
- Dearborn
- Michigan
- Chicago
- San Diego
- California
Sources
- AATONAU —