The research project Visual Artefacts (Carte du Ciel) explores the dual nature of drawing as both a scientific instrument and a poetic medium. Bridging disciplines such as the history of science, astronomy, and media philosophy, the study investigates how drawing articulates knowledge and functions as a medium of translation between materials, technologies, and fields of inquiry. Through a combination of studio practice and archival research, the project examines drawing as a tool for reflecting on photographic concepts such as mechanical image reproduction, original and copy.
Using archival material related to the international star-mapping project Carte du Ciel, initiated at the Paris Observatory in 1887, as its starting point, the project seeks to highlight and question aspects of visibility, value, and labour in relation to historiography. Particular attention is given to the role of the handmade mark and material aspects of analogue photography, preservation, and archival practices. The project will be centred on a series of new drawings based on material collected from observatories in Brussels, Paris, and Potsdam, alongside experiments with printing techniques on glass and paper.
(image: Essais techniques (Carte du Ciel). Colored pencil and charcoal powder on paper)
