cortis & sonderegger recreate history's most memorable moments in miniature

cortis & sonderegger recreate history’s most memorable moments in miniature
(above) making of ‘the hindenburg disaster’ (by sam shere, 1937), 2014
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP
all images courtesy of cortis & sonderegger

from tragedy to triumph, fantasy to failure, history’s most iconic moments are scaled down to miniature dimensions, assembled from a collection of utilitarian, mixed materials like household glue and cellophane. photographers cortis & sonderegger recreate memorable photographs from around the globe in a diorama-style format, forming scenes of historical significance in small scale and with quotidian tools.

despite their proportion, the images that comprise ‘ikonen’ conjure a vast emotional range — the loosely hanging props and billowing smoke that assemble ‘making of ‘9/11’ (originally photographed by sean adair in 2001) eerily remind of the chaotic nature of that day; stuart franklin’s 1989 ‘tiananmen’ is collaged from model materials, tape and tiny tanks, nearly bringing the static photograph back to three dimensions; sheets of cellophane and a miniature toy dinosaur bring the controversial  ‘nessie’ image to life.

making of ‘concorde’ (by toshihiko sato, 2000), 2013
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘tiananmen’ (by stuart franklin, 1989), 2013
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘olympia münchen’ (by ludwig wegmann, 1972), 2014
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘as11-40-5878’ (by edwin aldrin, 1969), 2014
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘nessie’ (by marmaduke wetherell, 1934), 2013
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘the wright brothers’ (by john thomas daniels, 1903), 2013
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘five soldiers silhouette at the battle of broodseinde’ (by ernest brooks, 1917), 2013
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘la cour du dumaine du gras’ (by joseph nicéphore niépce, 1826), 2012
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘208-n-43888’ (by charles levy, 1945), 2013
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘rhein II’ (by andreas gursky, 1999), 2012
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 1/9 + 2 AP

making of ‘9/11’ (by sean adair, 2001), 2013
70 x 105 cm, digital c-print, 2/9 + 2 AP