Photography of Lea Ellemann for Ulrike Quade Company

The focal point of Lea's residency at UQC was the access to an industrial robotic arm, around which all residents would base their artistic research on. For this, my participation was both sound design and photography. Also portrayed is the instrument I designed and manufactured for this project. The research culminated in two performances in April 2024. As preliminary work for the forthcoming research trip to Morrocco, wherein the future photoshoots for this collaboration would be set. This photoshoot sought to portray an impossible symbiotic relationship between a robot and a human. The use of off-camera flash with an aperture wider than the lightmeter-dictated one aimed to create subject isolation, effectively encapsulating Lea and the arm in that moment. When combined with monochrome, a sense of melancholic antiquity is achieved, in harsh juxtaposition with the cutting-edge technology represented by the robotic arm.

Photography & Shoot Co-Direction: Kristian Soisalo
Talent, Styling, Project Direction, Shoot Co-Direction & Garments: Lea Ellemann