“The present (Bahnhof Alexanderplatz)” 2012
2012 | 3 Photo booth prints, Acid-Free Mat, Aluminium Frame 100x70 cm (Colour)
“The present (Schönhauser Allee)” 2012
2012 | 1 Photo booth print, Acid-Free Mat, Aluminium Frame 100x70 cm (B/W)
Photo booth is the most intimate camera in the world; it can be found in many public
places. One can pay and take pictures without buying the device. The device can take a
portrait, produce personal ID card or passport photo, and printout the images.
Adopting part of the ideas in Camera Obscura (mirroring outside images into the device), a
large mirror was set in the photo booth at the tube station in Berlin Alexander Platz. Three
prints were taken at different locations in the tube station, reflecting a kiosk where people
line up to buy food and travelers walk through; each single print was dated and numbered
with photo booth serial.
How to take an image without owning any camera? How can we read an image between a
street snap shot and a fixed camera shot? I used mirror as a material to expand this
limited mis-en-scène space by sliding out the focusing frame from the fixed photo booths,
thus sketching a temporary private space from a public gaze.
