Winter 2003 NYC exhibitions feature Talbot's pioneering photography alongside Derges's contemporary cameraless works.
During the winter of 2002-2003, two photography exhibitions in New York offered distinct perspectives. From December 13, 2002, to February 16, 2003, the International Center of Photography featured 'First Photographs: William Henry Fox Talbot and the Birth of Photography,' showcasing Talbot's creations alongside scientific tools. Simultaneously, the Paul Kasmin Gallery exhibited 'Under The Moon' by Susan Derges from January 1 to February 8, 2003, which included 17 prints created between 2001 and 2002. Both artists, hailing from Britain, delve into themes of art, science, and nature, with Talbot's 19th-century calotypes and Derges's innovative photograms inspired by scroll paintings and Giambattista della Porta's 1558 work, 'Natural Magic.'
Key facts
- William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877) invented the calotype process, originally called 'photogenic drawing'
- Fox Talbot's first successful photograph 'Latticed Window (With a Camera Obscura)' was created in 1835 at Lacock Abbey
- The ICP exhibition included Fox Talbot's 1843 portrait camera with a 140mm lens and his solar microscope
- Fox Talbot published 'The Pencil of Nature' in six volumes, showcasing 24 calotypes to demonstrate practical applications
- Susan Derges's 'Under The Moon' exhibition featured nine vertical photograms resembling full-length mirrors at 66x21 inches
- Derges created 'The Streens' series by exposing light-sensitive color paper to flowing water vibrated by sound
- Derges completed a year-long residency at the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford in 2000-2001
- Martin Kemp featured Derges in his Nature journal series during the 1980s and co-authored her 1999 catalogue 'Susan Derges: Liquid Form'
Entities
Artists
- Susan Derges
- William Henry Fox Talbot
- Louis Daguerre
- Anna Atkins
- Harold Edgarton
- Piet Mondrian
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Giambattista della Porta
- Martin Kemp
- Cornell Capa
- James Gleick
- Fritjof Capra
- Michel Serres
- Josephe Niecephore Niepce
- Francois Arago
- Shelley
Institutions
- International Center of Photography
- Paul Kasmin Gallery
- Fox Talbot Museum
- British Museum
- Museum of the History of Science, Oxford
- Chelsea School of Art and Design
- Slade School of Fine Art
- British Council
- Nature
- Michael Hue-Williams Fine Art
- L'Opera
- Reading Establishment
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Lacock Abbey
- Wiltshire
- England
- United Kingdom
- Devon
- Paris
- France
- Chalon-Sur-Saone
- Brazil
- Scotland
- Oxford