She is said to be one of the leading architectural photographers in the world: Hélène Binet. With her camera (exclusively analogue), she takes astonishing images of the work of the famous architects of our time like David Chipperfield, Zaha Hadid, John Hejduk, Daniel Libeskind, Edmund de Waal or Peter Zumthor. Binets execptional photographs capture the soul of a building and at the same time create a new, abstract space. From 3 June until 21 September 2015 some of her work is shown in the exhibition „Dialogues – Photographs by Hélène Binet“ at Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung, Berlin. A great occasion for bauhaus-online to ask Hélène Binet some questions about the relationship between architecture and landscape, Moholy-Nagys’ ideas of photography and her principles of composition.
Mrs. Binet, your exhibition „Dialogues“ is currently shown at the Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin – an institution where the worlds largest Bauhaus collection is located, which also includes most of the famous Bauhaus photography. Does the Bauhaus in general has an influence on your work?
I think so. It was an amazing time, where so many doorways opened. A time of freedom with a lot of strenght and engagement, where photography became quite independent. There was the idea of moving away from the iconic image. I really appreciate all of that and looking at those images was a great influence to me. Especially László Moholy-Nagy’s approach, who aimed to visualize an idea with the camera, was inspiring. Because, when you photograph a building, you can also visualize an idea, for example use the line of the building to create your own composition. So the image is still in the spirit of the building but it becomes it’s own tableau. It has complete freedom.
The exhibition at the Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin is called „Dialogues“ – what kind of dialogues?
There are different cases of dialogues: between different architecture, but not only. In one specific case – Zaha Hadid, that I’ve been photographing for years – I decided to create this dialogue between architecture and landscape. In some of her works, there is a sense of using forces to build a gesture, that are very similar to the one of what exist in nature. For example if you think about lava movement and waves and sand dunes created by wind that have this natural flow. Due to the material and the way it reacts to forces and gravity, her work has something in common very strong with the natural flow, which is different from architects that are somehow accommodating with nature in a very delicate way. In Hadid’s case, it is different, she somehow uses the same strong energy as nature does.
Regarding the relationship between landscape and architecture, the second Bauhaus director Hannes Meyer once said: „As creators we fulfill the fate of the landscape.“ What are good examples for a suceeded adaption of a building to it’s surrounding landscape?
I think, a lot of the work of Peter Zumthor, the thermal bath that he built in Vals or the little chapel St. Benedict in the mountains. Peter Zumthor’s work is respecting and entering and dialogueing with the nature in a very subtle way, it really stands in the right place and doesn’t disturb. The Kunsthaus Bregenz is amazing, because it is next to a lake, where it is a very humid kind of atmosphere, and Zumthor said „I’m trying to create this building with almost collecting this fog and it’s humidity and turn it into a building.“ I think this dialogue is very subtle, it is not mimicking anything – it is just in harmony with what is happening at this specific place and with the landscape.
No people, no digital photography, barely colours: how and why did you develop your principles of composition?
We all know that composition is a very strong tool to create a space – even if it is all flat. So you can gain a sense of depth with different densities of having different grey and black. Structures and composition are a way to give you a more mental state that has a depth. And how I decide what kind of composition to choose is also in relation to the work. I will not compose an image in the same way, for example a building by Zaha Hadid like one by Peter Zumthor. I do look at the work of the architects to see their reference and to comprehend the work, to choose a way of composing. The work of Zaha Hadid for example is all lines which have a sense of continuity that never stops, they carry on in a way of greatness which is very different from the work of Peter Zumthor, which is very controlled. And I try to compose the image in parallel to the plan of the architect and create a space where you slowly enter another state – a very flat space, almost without perspective.
How long does it take you to photograph a building?
It depends a lot on the building – and on how strong the light changes, because light is so important for my work. It takes time to understand at what time and where the light will shine on the building or not, because sometimes it is also nice to be in a situation in which the light is very soft. So the more time I have, the better it will be. It is a long dialogue and a process, in which, I have to take away everything, which is really not necessary, so only at the end of the work I manage to photograph really abstract. Sometimes I get commissions like „Oh, can you do just two or three just very abstract photographs?“ and they think, I only need one day, but to get to that stage where you are really in touch with what is the most crucial point and you can reduce everything that is unnecessary – it takes time.
Walter Gropius designed the Bauhaus building in a way, that it can only be understood while walking around it or through it. And it is said to be impossible to take an overall picture from only one point of view. Would you like to make an attempt of photographing this iconic building?
Unfortunately, I never took a picture of the famous Bauhaus building in Dessau. I unfortunately haven’t photographed anything from Walter Gropius or other Bauhaus architects – but this is still to come, for it is definitely something beautiful, that I will be happy to photograph.
This is something we are looking forward to. Thank you very much for your time.