Rogues waves - 2022
The serie "Rogue waves", consisting of 20 photographs, originated in an exploration of scientific knowledge. In the course of her research, the artist discovered that water and light behave in the same way, so much so that there is talk of rogue waves in optical fibres, just like on the ocean. Fascinated by this unexpected parallel, Sarah Ritter discovered the world of fluid mechanics and, in particular, swell channels: long glass corridors filled with water in which artificial waves are generated for study. Using this highly artificial world as a starting point, the series proposes a recomposition of impossible waves, where logic reigns supreme. Here, science is used in reverse as a scenography of wonders, of active fictions, and photography, by freezing movement, sculpts waves and metamorphoses. Our belief in images makes us look for coherence where there is only montage and fake waves. They sketch out a universe in tension, between blue plastic sand and an ocean we no longer understand - a world that escapes us, an uncertain world. 30x45cm, baryta print, aluminium frame flush with each image, the 20 images form an indissociable whole. Schneider Foundation Contemporary Talent Prize |