Action at a distance is a concept in physics that describes the ability of two distant poles or objects to affect each other from a distance without being in physical contact.
Such interaction between the photographer and the landscape creates the possibility of representation which – while being inevitably subjective – does not entirely diverge from the objective documentation of the site. As Lewis Baltz (1) puts it, the scenery offers an infinite opportunity for a more profound analysis as it changes according to the observer’s point of view. The works of Morten Barker, Emanuel Cederqvist, and Philipp Meuser are also more than simple landscapes.
The discovery of uncertainty and conjuncture predetermined by a site is revealed in Meuser’s series Waiting for Buyan. Buyan is a mythical island, which probably corresponds to the actual island of Rügen in Germany. It was described as the source of all kinds of weather phenomena as well as the place where the magical stone Alatyr, the center of the universe, can be found. It is surrounded by many stories but, since there is no clear evidence of the existence of Buyan, a narrative of wonder permeates.
Cederqvist’s project The Margin of Error does not focus on a given location or its physical qualities, but rather, his images can be interpreted as reflections on the visual notion gained at the Sarek National Park in Sweden. This is where the meteorologist Emanuel Hofling disappeared in 1917. Besides his images, Cederqvist also works with archival photographs taken at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. These images reflect the intent of an artist reconstructing his own past as he contemplates his own presence in relation to the space that changes around him.