This series of Collages were all made following a set of simple rules. 1) The only source is National Geographic magazines. 2) They are made entirely by hand, using scalpel and glue. No digital editing or compositing. 3) They have to look as close to realistic photographs as possible.
Following these rules makes it impossible to approach a new work already with a fixed idea. Instead, I have to see the possible connections between the image elements available in my restricted source material. Most of the work consists of leafing through huge stacks of old National Geographics, in search of the right background or the right protagonist for the next collage.
What this means for the creative process, is that I have to give up on pretension, and instead keep an open mind. The stories and tableaux that spring forth stem from my unconscious, or from associative leaps far more interesting than any ideas I could have actively thought out.
Afterwards, each collage is underscored by a caption, a short text that came to mind during the making of the collage.
