ARTIST STATEMENT

“The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us.”

– Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia, 1984

For over 35 years, I traveled alone to remote wild places, photographing animals from the smallest insect to the largest whale. Each encounter leaves me in wonder and awe.

Twelve years ago, I abandoned the camera altogether to get closer to the animals I so love. I create unique photograms of wild animals directly onto light-sensitive photographic paper at night. These works are not digital prints and never manipulated; each exists as a singular, unrepeatable object.

Working patiently on moonless nights, I lay out huge sheets of silver gelatin photographic paper. I sit  alone in the dark a few feet away and wait for an animal to pass by. I wait all night. I do not use a camera trap or a hide and I am fully visible. This takes tremendous trust, awareness, openness and stillness.

If an animal appears, I watch the shadow against the paper using a small red light. I decide when and how to make a quick exposure with a small handheld flash. This is instantaneous and does not disturb the animal, whose welfare is my primary concern. I collect the paper, store it in a lightproof box, and later develop the print my traditional chemical darkroom.

Only then does the image reveal itself.

The result is a one-of-a-kind photographic artwork, a direct life-sized impression of a wild animal onto photographic paper. Each piece is a ghostly gift which reflects the fragility and majesty of the natural world.

When wild animals reveal themselves in moments of grace, that revelation moves from life to paper, from paper to viewer. Every choice I make is meant to honor my extraordinary experience with animals in the wild and to encourage a world in which all creatures and their habitats are revered, respected, and protected.                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                            – Zana Briski