Ornithographies - Hardcover

Bou, Xavi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 8416728593 ISBN 13: 9788416728596

Publisher: Lynx Edicions, 2022

Synopsis

"If birds left tracks in the sky, what would they look like?". That was the simple question that planted the seed of this complex work that combines nature, art, and technology. Since then, Xavi Bou has been looking for the answer, perfecting his technique and seeking out new species and behaviours, while gaining recognition though international publications and exhibitions.

This book represents a selection of images from the last seven years of Xavi's Ornithographies project. The main part of the book showcases 65 horizontal images, each professionally reproduced over a double page spread. And to better reproduce the vertical images, within the same book there is also a section bound to open vertically, with eight vertical double-page images and five unique triptychs. An index provides details on the species and location of each photo, as well as many interesting explanations to help better understand and appreciate the images.

From first glance, it is clear that we are not dealing with classic bird portraits. In fact, every figure merges to shape the image of something else: movement. We could say that the result is a graphical representation of the flight of these animals. Xavi's special technique takes slow-motion recordings with a digital film camera and overlaps them in post-production to masterfully create an extraordinary image revealing the hidden beauty of bird flight. The effect is dreamlike images, sometimes framed by extraterrestrial landscapes and other times floating in an ethereal space of unreal colours, in which unrecognizable but organic strokes tear the picture like a furious swarm or a lonely brushstroke.

The aesthetic impact of these images is immediate, but if we know what species and what circumstances have generated such a composition, we also gain another layer of understanding of these natural processes that were previously invisible to us. So, while the premise is that the sky is a canvas and the birds the brushes that paint on it, we must also recognize the role of Xavi Bou as curator, as his task is to search out, observe, and select each type of flight and make visible the particular choreography of each species.

Xavi explains that the project started without many pretensions, but that little by little it became his passion and profession. He never could have imagined the repercussions it would have, nor the interest it continues to arouse. He hopes that his combined love for nature and art will spark that love in others.

About this title

About the Author

Xavi Bou se interesó por las ciencias naturales desde muy joven, durante los paseos con su abuelo por los humedales del delta del Llobregat. Se licenció en Geología por la Universidad de Barcelona y posteriormente amplió sus estudios en fotografía. Durante 15 años se dedicó a la fotografía de moda y publicidad, lo que no solo le permitió dominar la técnica, sino también adquirir la sensibilidad estética que acabaría definiendo su particular mirada. Más adelante, pudo aplicar estos conocimientos a su verdadera pasión: la naturaleza. Su proyecto más conocido, Ornitografías, comenzó en 2015. El hecho de mostrar la belleza de la naturaleza de una forma nunca vista le aseguró una gran acogida desde el principio. Tras haber sido expuesto en numerosas muestras por todo el mundo y ampliamente difundido en prestigiosas publicaciones internacionales, este año también ha quedado plasmado en un libro homónimo publicado por Lynx Edicions. Las ornitografías revelan lo que escapa a la percepción humana: los patrones invisibles que dibujan las aves en el cielo al volar. Aunque en sus inicios el componente estético desempeñó un papel fundamental en el proyecto, a lo largo de estos ocho años de trayectoria ha ido cobrando mayor relevancia el aspecto científico, fruto de colaboraciones con especialistas y del crecimiento de la labor divulgativa. En palabras del autor, “es el equilibrio entre arte y ciencia: un proyecto de descubrimiento naturalista y, al mismo tiempo, un ejercicio de poesía visual”. Actualmente, Xavi Bou trabaja en iniciativas que exploran otros recursos, como el vídeo, y nuevos sujetos de estudio, como los insectos. Así, la materia prima de su obra sigue siendo la naturaleza, y el reto, mostrarla de una forma innovadora y estética que acerque al público al arte y, sobre todo, fomente la conciencia ambiental.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lynx Edicions
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8416728593
• ISBN 13: 9788416728596
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 190