Skonogramme

Lorenz Olivier Schmid's publication shines a light on the dusty legacy of glass-framed dried flowers and butterflies. She makes extremely fine images of entomological curiosities visible, which otherwise remain hidden to the naked eye.

The artist has collected framed objects over the years, on whose glass an object or drawing may have left traces. "For years, even decades, the constant pressure of some metal clamps had an effect on the strange specimens behind the glass. This pressure transfers traces of grease and particles, and not only allows dust to reach the edges, but also keeps the essence in the frame. In some cases, moths have also left additional spoors. And all these traces were left behind on the glass as a barely visible, thin mouldy film. I christened this long printing process skonography, in reference to the ancient Greek word for dust, skoné."

With two German and one French text by Anne Mueller von der Haegen (D), Georges Didi-Huberman (F) and Isabel Zürcher (CH), Skonogramme not only offers enigmatic visual worlds but also stimulating reading pleasure.