In its most basic form, photography is based on light and a sensitive layer, without even the need for a camera. This primordial process resembles photosynthesis in plants, which creates oxygen with light. Svetlana Talanova returns to the natural phenomenon of shaping images by making colourful, abstract, and figurative photograms. Her work reveals the interconnectivity between humans and nature and the spirituality in the slowness of the analogue process. 

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Svetlana Talanova did her projects without using the most basic instrument of photography, the camera. Her abstract and colourful images result from direct exposure of different materials on light-sensitive paper. She made cubist-like images, either in various shades of red or purple, and details of green and blue leaves and photograms of flowers. Why did she choose this elaborate manual process? "I was interested in the essence of photography, which is light. And I felt that in the darkroom, I could touch the materials. I could manipulate and play with light. It is like painting with light on paper. It is about going back to the basics, to the beginnings of photography. Moreover, this process connects photography with painting and sculpture. You can feel the energy of the 'light-brush'. I like the idea that the viewer can feel the physicality of my work."

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Internal reality 

Talanova interrogates the boundaries of photography and the reality that the medium captures precisely. Is it the reality produced by the focus of the lens, or the fundamental material of nature itself, or perhaps something entirely different? The process in the darkroom was not only a return to the basic principles of photography but also the formal principles of art. "I was thinking about how to use photography to capture something that may be hidden within me. And I was questioning what photography can and cannot see. I was influenced by abstract expressionist painters and the surrealist idea that art comes from the subconscious mind. I want to show the internal reality."
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Control and Chance 

The darkroom analogue process unfolds itself as a teacher. The work of Talanova is utterly colourful, expressing the abundance and vitality of life itself. "I feel that life is colourful. It influences our mood and our character. And it shapes our identity. It is very challenging that it is pitch dark in the colour darkroom, so you have to do everything with your feelings without seeing what you do. It makes you 'see' with other organs other than your eyes. In my series, The Passage of Time, there were two elements in the process: control and chance. When it is completely dark, you cannot predict the exact results, so you have to leave things be a bit. I also like the idea that each of my works is unique among the current plethora of photographs. It is healthy not to pollute the world with an abundance of images. This simplicity of the unique image gives me something beneficial." 
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Natural materials

Working with natural materials is an essential part of the photograms of Talanova. Nature is a healer of the isolation that fell upon the world during the corona pandemic. Thereby, the work shows that the veins in the leaves look like the blood veins of humans and animals, making us conscious of our relationship with the natural world. "This work started during the covid restrictions. I felt my mental state wasn't good because I didn't interact with people. I needed something which would bring me back to life mentally and psychologically. The healing aspect of connecting with nature became obvious when I started taking walks in parks. I realised that nature forms part of us holistically. I started collecting and experimenting with these leaves in the darkroom. This project started when I exposed the leaves to light. Humans have this bigger connection on a micro-level, and many patterns we find in nature are the same in our bodies. Realising our deep connection with nature was fascinating."

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I needed something which would bring me back to life mentally and psychologically.

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Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the chemical reaction by which plants produce oxygen from the energy of sunlight, being the basis of all organic life on earth. Analogically, photography uses light to create images. The project PhotoSynthesis reveals the veins and many other details of the inner structure of leaves. Svetlana Talanova chose this approach to visualise the similarities between ourselves and the basics of photography itself. "Leaves need light to live, and photography needs light to create images. Our lives belong to a big ecosystem, and I want to show this connection." 

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Slowing down

The series, The Passage of Time, was made by wrinkling and folding the photo paper, exposing it to light from the enlarger, and processing it in the colour-developing machine. The light hit the paper from different angles, producing diamond-like sparkles. Talanova deliberately slowed the machine to create different hues and effects. 

The work refers to how we experience and handle time, especially in our rushed society. The world is moving fast, and society expects an overall quick response. "Success is measured today by the speed of your work. Therefore, I wanted to explore slowness. I realised that it gives us more ways to see things more profoundly. With slowness, we give ourselves time to look inside. When I look slower at an object, I can see more textures and deeper colours."

Talanova refers to the abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky, who wrote the seminal book, On the Spiritual in Art, in which he advocated the expression of the inner life in art. For him, art was a spiritual antidote to the materialistic society. "Kandinsky said that artists should train not only the eye but also the soul. It's beneficial for artists to be in a meditative state of mind. I need to understand what is important to me. And to hear this inner voice, I need to slow down. Surprisingly, slowing down results in working more effectively. The results are better and have a deeper impact."

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Svetlana Talanova is a London-based artist, working with cameraless photography, creating images by hand in the darkroom. She explores the intersection and interconnection of nature and humanity, ecology and sustainability. She holds an MA in Photography (with Distinction for Research) from the Royal College of Art (2021). Lives and works in London, UK.

https://svetlanatalanova.com/

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