GOTTFRIED JÄGER

ARTIST

PINHOLE STRUCTURE 3.8.14 D 7, 1.3, 1973 is a gelatin silver print created by Gottfried Jäger. It belongs to a group of works that explore generative photography on a systematic-constructive basis.
The series of works to which this artwork belongs was created as a contribution to the field of generative photography. The first eight series, referred to as programs 3.1-3.8, were exposed on color and black-and-white materials (paper and film) between January 12 and 30, 1967. The unique prints from this series were produced on color paper (series 3.1 and 3.2) and on film, allowing for duplications (prints). The black-and-white series 3.8 represents a preliminary conclusion, with image number 14 (the last in the series) serving as the basis for further modifications based on specific design parameters. This particular image was designated "3.8.14 A" and became a key image for the subsequent creation of around 200 derived images.
Pinhole structures, as seen in this artwork, originate from the principle of optical imaging found in the camera obscura (pinhole camera). Jäger developed this concept into a complex optical system, a variable multiple pinhole camera. This system provided a method for designing geometric patterns according to a programmed and comprehensible generative image grammar. The initial works from this series were exhibited at the Generative Photography exhibition in 1968 at Kunsthaus Bielefeld, which showcased works by other artists such as Breier, Cordier, and Gravenhorst, accompanied by texts from Herbert W. Franke and Gottfried Jäger.
The artwork has been exhibited and published in various contexts, including the first exhibition at Kunsthaus Bielefeld in February and March 1968. It was also featured in publications such as "Generative Fotografie" in Foto Prisma (Düsseldorf, 1969) and "Pinhole Structures: Generative Photographic Works 1967-1974" in Pinhole Journal (San Lorenzo, NM, USA, 1989), with a subsequent reprint in HyperSpace (Kyoto, Japan, 1998).
Notable collections that include Jäger's works are the Etzold Collection, the Program Random System at the Städtisches Museum Abteiberg Mönchengladbach, the Peter C. Ruppert Collection: Concrete Art in Europe after 1945 at the Museum im Kulturspeicher Würzburg, and the Photographic Collection at Museum Folkwang Essen.

Pinhole Structure 3.8.14 D 7, 1.3, 1973

Gunther Dietrich is the founder of Photo Edition Berlin, which opened in 2008. One of the gallery's first exhibitions showcased works by Gottfried Jäger, the founder of "Generative Photography." The name Photo Edition Berlin has been programmatic from the beginning: "Photography" means "drawn with light," and "Edition" emphasizes photography as the reproduction medium par excellence. On the occasion of the exhibition by Gottfried Jäger and Hein Gravenhorst, presented jointly by Photo Edition Berlin and EXPANDED.ART, Anika Meier and Gunther Dietrich discuss the beginnings of Photo Edition Berlin, the history of generative photography, and how Jäger and Gravenhorst have shaped the history of photography, as well as how NFTs are changing the digital art market.

IN CONVERSATION WITH GUNTHER DIETRICH

PHOTO EDITION BERLIN: DISCOVERING GENERATIVE AND CONCRETE PHOTOGRAPHY

MAGAZINE

The exhibition presents pioneers from different generations, early 1950s until today, working in the field of generative art. On view will be, among others, plotter drawings, generative photography, sculptures, and NFTs from 30 international artists. In collaboration with ELEMENTUM.ART.

GROUP SHOW

THE THINKING MACHINE. PRESENTING PIONEERS, 1953-2023 | GALLERY & SHOWROOM

EXHIBITION

The long-term project GENERATIVE IMAGES formed the synthesis of two different generative systems. The system of multiple geometric optics of the camera obscura engaged in a dialogue with the digital algorithms of camera electronica. The camera obscura produces results by analyzing light, optics, and light-sensitive materials. The camera electronica uses arithmetic operations to digitally construct new images. Interactions are formed based on empirical experiences with natural sources (light, vision) and calculated interactions involving the virtual and non-visible (numbers, programs).
The process demonstrates the immense technical informational distance and difference between the two systems, which represent a developmental period spanning over 30 years. Today, interactive access to the earlier static images is available: all design parameters used in each of the pinhole structures can now be applied and observed directly through digital potentiometers, without delay. The artistic problem of selecting and setting the image still exists, despite the elegance of this access.
The program title MOSAIC was inspired by Vilém Flusser’s texts (see Catalog SCHNITTSTELLE, Bielefeld, 1994). The series developed based on the success of two pinhole structures labeled 3.8.14 A, 1967 and 3.8.14 D 7 I, 1973. The name of the series is derived from the date of their creation (DDMMYY), without letter spacing or periods. Creation dates are followed by the series number and the year of origin. For example: 270394, 1.1, 1994.
The development of the topics can be chronologically tracked from 1994 to 2003.
<meta charset="utf-8">"GENERATIVE IMAGES are what I call digital works based on the computer program 'lochbl,' developed by the computer scientist Peter Serocka in 1996. It allows the optical conditions of the PINHOLE STRUCTURES from 1967 to be digitally simulated and further developed. Accordingly, similar earlier motifs and new generative works can be created. The work returns to the constructive beginning to determine the structure. The precision achieved digitally is much greater than that available through optical means." – Gottfried Jäger

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