Architecture
Capturing Contemporary Architecture
Glasgow, 2010 architecture by Zaha Hadid edition 8 + 2 ap, hand printed b/w silver gelatin (61 cm. x 50.8 cm). Courtesy Gabrielle Amman Gallery, Cologne
Image courtesy of: Design Boom
For over twenty years, Helene Binet, the accomplished Swiss artist, has brought human characteristics to many buildings designed by the world’s top architects such as Zaha Hadid, David Chipperfield and Daniel Libeskind.
With her unique eye, Binet manages to blend the structure with natural light beautifully. It’s quite obvious why Binet was awarded the Julius Shulman Institute Excellence in Photography Award in 2015.
Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art (architecture by Zaha Hadid). Image courtesy of: Iain Claridge
Part of what makes Binet’s photographs so unique is that she completely shys away from digital photography. In Binet’s own words, “I shoot only on film and plate. I don’t touch digital. There are many reasons: mentally it’s very different to work with film. It’s expensive, it’s heavy, so you have to prepare. It’s precious and every photograph you have to say yes! It’s now! There’s no fiddling about and fixing it later. I really believe the soul of photography is its relationship with the instant.”
Columbia, 1 of 2007. Courtesy of: Gabrielle Amman Gallery, Cologne. Image courtesy of: Design Boom
Growing up in Rome, Binet had plenty of architectural influence from an early age onward. She effortlessly manages to reduce the complexity of architecture to a series of vertical lines.
Sverre Fehn Architect’s project, photographed by Helene Binet. Image courtesy of: Buamai
Based in London, Binet has the unique quality of bringing the “emotions” OUT of the buildings.
And speaking of emotions, Binet said, “In the end, what I do is about feeling. Certain buildings, certain architects generate a strong emotion. It is hard to explain, but, if am I lucky, I can find this feeling, these emotions, slowly and quietly in the darkroom when my pictures come to light.”
Pierres Vives in Montpellier, France completed in 2012 by Zaha Hadid. Image courtesy of: Phaidon
Studying at the Instituto Europe di Design in Rome was transformative to Binet. These days, Binet is known as “photographer to the starchitects”. Nevertheless, this term doesn’t begin to do justice to her work. The Swiss-born photographer looks at buildings with such an intimate perspective that they’re photographed with having inanimate feelings.
Helene Binet. Image courtesy of: Phaidon
When not photographing buildings, Binet likes to photograph the most unusual of things… weeds and flowers in fields. As these aren’t objects that people really “care” about, Binet tries to turn them into something special, give them a little edge. This current collection (photographed in both India and Norway) is one that Binet hopes to exhibit one day. Surely this will be a complete departure from her usual, infamous photographs.
