Opening the Archive

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The next chapter of The Slow Camera Exchange is to unpack the world of the images Hermann created. This will involve working with images printed in the darkroom and images exposed on 160 undeveloped films. Hermann Marbe work is playful and often captured the essences of relationship between him and his subjects, whether people, objects or environments.

 

He was open, curious and had a sharp eye for details others may miss. He had a special ability to unveil the quirky, magical essence hidden in everyday life. He found humor, joy, irony and beauty in unexpected places in vast quantities.In this new chapter of the Slow Camera Exchange a digital archive will be created including the majority of Hermanns body of work over a period of 18 years.A partnership has been formed with UCC’s Photo archives, Cork City Libraries and MTU Staff and students across a range of programmes to create the archive and then to bring it to life. MTU through its SATLE funding are supporting this initiative.The idea to have a living archive that supported creativity and learning. It aims to supports creative processes.

 

It also aims to support dialogue processes in learning in fields such as citizenship education, research, coaching, therapy as examples. MTU lecturer Amy Prendergast explains how she feels working with the archive will support the creative processes with her students.“It’s very important, especially for emerging artists, that they feel a part of a community. Using Herman’s images gifts the artist this understanding and feeling that the human/lived experience is vast- and all is worthwhile and can be valuable. As Rumi said we should ‘welcome’ our ‘joy, depression, meanness… and sorrow.’

 

Nothing should be rejected or discarded. Using these images as a stimulus also helps to remove or by-pass the paralysing fear of creativity as we are essentially in conversation with another artist who has already begun the dialogue.”It is a joy to bring the images to life in all sorts of dialogues.