Distant Waters and Paper Landscapes, 2006-2009
Drora Spitz's series from the years 2004–2009 give expression
to the complex relationship between man and nature and to the cyclical quality of life. These photographs, which constantly vacillate between the familiar and the strange, between presence and absence, are characterized by techniques of abstraction, multiple layers and formal refinement; they enable the viewer to plunge into a fantastic world imbued by a unique rhythm and sense of mystery.
During the 1970s, Drora Spitz focused on creating black-and-white photographs. Using a special technique she developed herself, and which involved color solarization, she transformed her photographs into colorful compositions. At that time,
the disassembly and reassemblage of layers of negatives
was performed manually, while today such manipulations
are all digitally performed.
In the series "Paper Landscapes" (2004–2008), the basis for each work is a combination of images from different sources, which are transformed through their unification. Silhouettes composed of painted paper cutouts are integrated into collages of imaginary landscapes, which are photographed, scanned into the computer, and overlain with one or more images. The works are characterized by a restricted set of outlines and topographical contours imbued with a painterly quality, which create an experiential dialogue between man and nature. In the series "Distant Waters" (2006 – 2009), Spitz creates an encounter between layered silhouettes and changing perspectives.
At the same time, she doubles and triples the images, which vacillate between hints of figuration and abstraction. The imprinting of one layer upon another creates an illusion of depth and transparency, as well as a colorful tonality.
These two series offer viewers the opportunity for a pause and a moment of seclusion, as well as a metaphorical gaze towards the future. Moving between opposite poles, they foster a sense of integration and synchronization between interior and exterior, and create an equilibrium between time and space. Spitz presents us with an array of images that come together to create a dreamlike, metaphysical atmosphere. Local landscapes, figures hovering over marine vegetation, water trapped between layers of rock, mythical birds circling over the water, and the evocation of blowing wind and splashing water all come together to form a dynamic of being.
The powerful, layered materiality of these series creates
a constant sense of transition between two and three dimensions, which endows the works with the appearance
of a relief. The viewer's eye wanders through the expanses
of natural landscape, which seem to fuse with inner landscapes. The sense of depth in the photographs, as well as the insistence on simplicity as a value in and of itself, appear alongside a longing for unconscious experience, for a liberation from conventions and for the acculturation of nature's creative flow. Nature as it appears in these landscapes – the movement between high and low tide, between movement and stillness
– is a source of growth and renewal. The images resonate
with one another, while echoing the sound of the wind and the movement of life itself.
"Dreams become reality,
reality becomes dreams."
- Issey Miyake
By: Irit Levin From the book "Light | Space | Time"