Interview mit Fotokünstler Claus Sterneck
Click here for the English version
Wenn Fotos sprechen können. Claus Sterneck, deutscher Fotokünstler, Webdesigner und Postbote in Island, regt in seinem neuesten, kleinen bemerkenswerten Projekt mehrere Sinne an. Seine Fotografieren aus Island können nicht nur betrachtet, sondern die Geräusche zum Zeitpunkt der Aufnahme auch gehört werden. Im Interview erklärt Claus Sterneck, wie er auf die Idee kam, seine Fotos sprechen zu lassen, und wie das Projekt während einer Sommerausstellung in der Heringsfabrik in Djúpavík ankam.

Welches ist dein persönliches Lieblings-Geräusche-Foto-Paar?

Die plätschernde Kanalisation, der schnurrende Kater, die Autoreifenspikes auf der Straße in Reykjavík – die Sequenzen sind sehr unterschiedlich, was ist deine Intension des Projekts?

Wie kamst du auf die Idee zu diesem Projekt?

Wie verlief dann die Umsetzung deiner Idee?

Eine technische Frage: Welches Equipment hast du verwendet?

Welche Reaktionen gibt es auf deine Foto-Sound-Installation?

War die Ausstellung in Djúpavík einmalig oder setzt du das Projekt fort?

English version


“Pictures – and their sounds”: Interview with project initiator Claus Sterneck
If pictures can speak. Claus Sterneck, german photographer, web designer and postman in Iceland, inspires several senses in his latest little amazing project: photographs from Iceland can not only be viewed, but the sounds recorded at the same time are heard at the time as well. Claus Sterneck talks about the idea to let his pictures speak, and how the project catched on during a summer exhibition in the old herring factory in Djúpavík.

What is your personal favorite sound-photo-pair?
Difficult, because I like a lot. One of my favorites is a small brook near Djúpavík, in which a faint murmur is heard. I like also the sound I took in a church in Reykjavík, while a mobile phone rang because of receiving a sms.
Example

The splashing water drainage, the purring cat and the tire spikes on a street in Reykjavík – the sequences are very different, what is your intension of the project?
I want to show the viewers of the images not only a – perhaps quite ordinary – photo, but offer an additional dimension: time. The image shows a catched moment, but sound and time are continuing, resulting in a contradiction. Mostly I choose spontaneously if I want to record a sound while taking the picture or not. Then the coincidence comes into play, which means I’m not waiting for a specific expected sound. The sounds I record are as they are in the specific moment.

How did you get the idea for this project?
Quite honestly, I do not know exactly. I discovered a feature on my camera how to record sounds and couple it to an image. I taste his function a few times, and then the concrete idea came up: “Pictures – and their sounds”.

How did you continue implementing your idea?
I photograph a lot and began to record sounds direct after taking pictures. I am very sensitive to noise and therefore I have not only seen a motive, but also surrounded sounds. At home during looking at the pictures and listening their sound, I realized that pictures and sounds simply belong together. A picture is not just a picture.

A technical question: What equipment did you use?
I photograph and record the sounds with a digital camera Canon Powershot G10. But I want to get a separate recording device with windbreak in the near future.

How are the reactions about your photo-sound installation?
Those who take ten minutes for the 31 “Pictures – and their sounds” are quite enthusiastic. However, some shy away from being active in an exhibition, putting on headphones and starting the CD player. I was very touched by a couple from Netherlands – they bought my book with an audio CD to give it to their blind daughter. So they could bring her a little more home from Iceland – not just the stories, but also my sounds.

Was the issue in Djúpavík unique or do you continue with this project?
I proceed, definitely! Where, when and in what kind I do not know right now. But I hope to have a sequel in 2011.