There is Nothing New Under the Sun
‘There is Nothing New Under the Sun’ is Geibl’s first monograph. Carefully planned images are mixed with stream-of-consciousness texts. A poetic approach emerges through allegories, personal short stories and image pairs. The project deals with the rampant individualism that underpins our contemporary social, political, and economic system, and in particular, the environmental impact that it has. Geibl’s aim with the series is not to lecture, or to lay down a strict story, nor to interpret economic issues. She takes the viewer on a journey. There are no clear answers but instead ambiguous questions. Which we have to ask sooner or later as we are not only heirs of the system but also suffer under it.
Artist-Book Published by Void.
Availble at:
https://void.photo/nothingnew
Monograph ‘There is Nothing New Under the Sun’, Published by Void
Monograph ‘There is Nothing New Under the Sun’, Published by VoidThere is Nothing New Under the Sun includes images of apparently perfect athletic bodies, for example; it also includes shots of animals under human control — whether they’re bees fresh from the beehive, or a horse blinkered under a fly hat. Other images show financial sectors, such as London’s financial district or a pint-sized model village.
Geibl wants to achieve a very political feeling in this series without showing it overtly, and is seeking out “very specific places and scenarios” for her images — though she started her career shooting straight documentary work, she now works more conceptually and will happily set up and stage her shots.
Essay by Diane Smith
Essay by Diane Smith
Your work often involves reflecting on the world we live in, and the effects of contemporary culture. We’ve previously shared your series “Sisyphus,” which took a very scientific approach to this idea, while your newer work feels more organic in nature. Can you speak a bit about this shift for “There Is Nothing New Under the Sun?”
I could most liken this shift to Lars von Trier’s movie Melancholia. There’s a scene where Kirsten Dunst’s character feels the end of the world before anyone and swaps albums from abstract paintings to figurative oil paintings in the family library. The blue square is replaced by Caravaggio and Bruegel. I’m feeling this kind of transformation now with Sisyphus to Nothing New Under the Sun. Abstraction and rationality can no longer answer my questions which is why the shift was necessary.
Interview by Bailey Dale
Interview by Bailey Dale
Monograph ‘There is Nothing New Under the Sun’, Published by Void
Speaking of Melancholia, I wanted to ask about a specific image in your series that I love – the still life of a model that is on fire. It’s the one image that reminds me of the sense of impending doom that is prevalent throughout the movie, while the other photos don’t feel quite as ominous. What was your thought process and intention during the creation of that image?
This image was born after reading Baudrillard’s simulacrum theory again, where his argument is that the Gulf War didn’t happen. Mass media created a spectacular view of the war through television screens. What the world saw from the war was merely a simulation of the war in hyperreal space. He wrote that essay in 1991 but it is more relevant to our world today than ever. If you just think about the fake news era which we live in, where you no longer have any reference to an external reality, but statements which exist for themselves, replacing reality and facts. I wanted to capture this very strong image in a metaphorical way, which of course also speaks about the future that lies in front of us, due to the reality of climate change.
Interview by Bailey Dale
Interview by Bailey Dale
Monograph ‘There is Nothing New Under the Sun’, Published by Void