Salt Terrain (2011 – ) gelatin silver photogram

Salt Terrain is a series of cameraless photo works. They are created by placing salt and water on photo-sensitive paper. The barely visible textures of this interaction creates topographic shadows which are exposed by a spark of an electronic flash.

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“Shimpei Takeda’s Saltscapes recall the surface of the moon or the ocean as seen from above, natural topographies that are bigger than us, though many of his photograms are no larger than a drugstore print. These works are both the most directly representational works featured here and also the most abstract. Though they bring to mind organic shapes and surfaces, they are actually documents of the chemical reaction that takes place when Takeda sprinkles water and salt onto photosensitive paper, and exposes it to a flash of light. Even as he continues to refine his technique, chance is the chief player in the development of Takeda’s work. It allows us to share with him the delight in the revelation of the otherwise unseen interaction between materials and light.” — Jordana Zeldin’s curatorial statement from the exhibition, Tonal Range at The ArtBridge Drawing Room.

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Studio Documentation