OCAP on cubes and places.architecture-photography duo based in leipzig, berlin and munich. all images ©OCAP info@ocap-arch.com
The edge of a roof divides the grainy image into two parts. Above, the faint outline of a gable, in the foreground a kind of turret, and below the roof edge simply black. Photochemical technology was not advanced enough for this subject matter in the early 19th century. “View from the window at Le Gras” (1826-27) is the first ever successfully taken and oldest surviving photograph in the world. Joseph Nicéphore Nièpce captured this view for posterity. He shows architecture; buildings which shape our environment and view from the window into the world.
Our aim, above all, is to produce the best representation of architecture. If one is to regard architecture itself as visual art, photography is the medium best suited to its depiction. There are some challenges: often there is a lack of atmosphere in architectural photography, which is only formed by context. Weather, light, a stretch of road or a field, the view along the horizon or a narrow street - all these details contribute significantly to the impression and experience of a building.
We consider these details and experiences in our photographic practice. How can a building be newly assembled through images, without being captured in its entirety in a single image? We do this by concentrating on the following parts of the architectural process: the construction of the building, its environment, its use and ageing, and the atmospheric presence. The architecture is thus shown as a real object and made tangible. Instead of an assumed objective representation of architecture, we allow space for subjectivity, so that this level of architectural experience can be visualised.
Ocap is Florian Merdes and Jakob Argauer. Our educational background is in fine art photography, which we studied at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, Germany. The collaboration, established as Ocap in 2017, works on behalf of architects, city planners and architectural theorists. For quite some time in our artistic practices we have been committed to an architectural discourse, visiting and photographing some of the most diverse buildings worldwide. These theoretical explorations and experiences drive our high creative and technical standards.
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