AS I WAS MOVING AHEAD OCCASIONALLY I SAW BRIEF GLIMPSES OF BEAUTY is a very simple newsletter where I share a collection of creative expressions I enjoyed coming across.
Night pictures of events during the Gulf War (1990–91), broadcast on various television channels, awakened Thomas Ruff’s interest in night vision devices. Originally developed for military purposes, the device captures occurrences at night in a greenish light with the help of a light intensifier. Fascinated by the technique and the possibility of making the “invisible” visible, Ruff acquired a light intensifier for his camera and began taking pictures of backyards and streets in Düsseldorf environs.
thomasruff.com
While night vision photography emerged in the 1930s, the Gulf War of 1990–1991 introduced advanced equipment that paved the way for 24-hour warfare. Television viewers worldwide witnessed unprecedented footage of brightly lit combat taking place in full darkness on the ground. Nächte (Nights) was directly inspired by the imagery from the Gulf War. Using a technology developed for military purposes to capture trivial, placid settings, Ruff plays with viewers’ expectations—his photographed locations appear shrouded in mystery or secrecy. Each of the works conveys the impression that something is about to happen.
David Zwirner
If I used this camera to take pictures of flowers in a garden, there would always be a sense of: I’m looking at the scene of a crime. I assume that has to do with the way we visualize images. We always put images in some context, so, when it’s green and dark, we immediately think – probably because of our experience of the images we see on television – we think of war and destruction, of the scene of a crime.
Thomas Ruff
Nacht 7 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 4 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 19 II, 1995. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 10 I, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 20 I, 1995. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 10 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 21 II, 1995. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 19 III, 1995. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 20 III, 1995. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 11 II, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 9 II, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 10 II, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 17 I, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 16 1, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 14 I, 1993. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 14 III, 1994. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 18 III, 1994. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 14 II, 1994. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 1 I, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 1 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 2 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 17 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 7 II, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 5 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 16 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 6 II, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 6 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 9 III, 1992. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Nacht 12 I, 1993. Chromogenic color print. Source: Thomas Ruff’s website
Thomas Ruff, self-portrait, 1980. Source: David Zwirner
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