Our environment has been undergoing a vast transformation, which has led to a climate emergency. From wildfires to plastic waste affecting our flora and fauna, many issues often go unnoticed. In the face of such changes, a few artists are making work to depict the beauty and diversity of nature. One person who has taken a different route is Jess Holdengarde, a lens-based artist whose latest photography exhibition focuses on stability, resistance, and hope.
The lead image is by Jess Holdengarde, courtesy of Stills. All images are used with permission.
Jess is a South African photographer whose practice focuses on the role of image-making in the context of a crisis. Their approach has been to use stills, sound, writings, and videos created using sustainable processes. Their upcoming exhibition, Glimmer, is one such work. The work was created during their Verzasca Fotos Artist residency in Switzerland.
In the initial part of the creation, Jess Holdengarde narrowed their research to focus on the medicinal properties and folkloric traditions of the plants in Verzasca Valley. Since this was site-specific work, the photographer used an analog camera, while the photographic negatives were processed using the plant and river water within the valley. They had a journal to document their findings and also used sound recorded around the mountains as a historical record. At Frasco, a village there, Jess further explored the relationship between humans and nature.
“Along the way, I pause to capture the glimmers of the rock pools with my 35mm and 8mm camera. The further I climb, the more striking the pools become, the deeper they get and the colder the water. Filming the body against the warm stone in an attempt to make sense of a bodily presence, the lens and a practice in a time of heightened change, instability and catastrophe.” – 6 September 2024.
Jess Holdengarde
During this period, the photographer also captured the large stones and the shimmer of the river, which further helped them document their relationship with nature. This process occurred a second time, during which Jesse Holdengarde further examined their role as photographers and how a camera can help to change perspectives and function as catharsis for personal experiences.
If you look at their images, Jess is not only showing us the beauty of nature but also our similarities. The rocks, in many ways, appear like human limbs and vice versa, while the glimmer of the water resembles the stars and the sun. While the images are poetic, they also speak volumes about our dependence on nature. The fact that the images were developed alongside the rivers where the project was made adds meaningful layers to the stories. It feels as if the story of the land and its ancestors are carried through the negatives to the viewers.
Photographically, the images, including close-ups of Jess’ body, the rock, river, and plant, leave the story open-ended for the viewer. There is no distraction, per se. What you are left with is an image, a bit abstract in some ways, that propels you to ponder its meaning. The black and white color and the high contrast make the scene more flavourful. Instead of showing us images of the beauty of the valley, Jess only reveals a sliver of it, with the rest left to our imagination. I think that is a wonderful approach, as it allows viewers to step in and take charge of the direction of the narrative. In doing so, they make the photograph and the story their own.
Jess Holdengarde’s Glimmer will be displayed from December 7 to February 8, 2025. For more information, visit Still’s website.
