Form #7, Josef Schulz, 2003
Josef Schulz is a photographer known for capturing images of modern warehouses and factories, which are typically considered mundane industrial structures with little architectural significance. These buildings, produced worldwide, follow standardized plans and materials, lacking distinct external features to reveal their specific purposes.
Schulz's approach involves studying the essence of his craft through these photographs. He employs digital image processing to remove any elements hinting at the buildings' age, location, or surroundings, transforming them into virtual blueprints. By emphasizing colors, shapes, and symmetries, he turns the buildings into block-like structures, resembling toy architecture and presenting them as idealized versions of themselves.
In this process, Schulz blurs the line between photographic and painted reality to optimize the images. Simultaneously, he reduces the physical buildings to their design concepts and the photographic reality to its virtual representation. His intent is to diverge from the typical pursuit of making digital images appear as real as possible. This approach might leave the viewer perplexed, as they struggle to distinguish between authentic elements captured by the camera and those created through digital tools.
