Still seems magic (second part). A glimpse to the work process in Ilan Wolff’s studio

Ilan Wolff is a photographer, but in his studio you can not found a camera; or even an enlarger. At least an actual one. He does not reject them, simply, he is not interested. He shrugs when spoken of techniques and lenses, pixels or programs. Wolff works with the camera obscura. He goes back to the beginning of this art, to the times when the vagaries of light were an almost magical curiosity some scientists studied and settled, more than explained that, in his books.

His work is a process of days, planning and patience. It is a creative act that also needs experience, knowledge of chemistry and the reactive nature of paper; that requires time to change and molecules react. It’s drawing with photons in a sensitive surface (that is photo-graphy, after all), and then work on this with substances that add textures and layers. It is painting with other brushes.

After nearly two months of waiting for the search of a product, the work that Ilan Wolff was preparing in his workshop in Almería (see previous post), finally entered its final stage. Having defined the positive image, it was time to create textures and layers, and colorize in sepia tones. The final work is about 3 by 1.5 meters, and is a tribute to the Dadaist movement, commissioned by his friend Shmuel Grünberg.

This video, made on Monday January 11, is a continuation of the previous post, and includes work on the final stages of the project. Once again, the recording is not perfect, because it was not prepared or planned. Again, my intention was not to disturb or interfere with the process. Sometimes you can hear the suffering of the lens, which is not ideal for video recordings, to focus movements or listening distances. Anyway, it’s an interesting document, and I think that will appeal to lovers of photography, of art, and the connoisseurs of the work of Ilan Wolff.