For his new project titled Heisenberg Objekt No. III, award-winning photographer Fabian Oefner has created an unusual scupture by slicing up quite an expensive “raw material”: a pristine Leica M6 rangefinder camera, which costs around $2,500 to $3,500 used.
To create the sculpture, Oefner encased the camera in a block of resin and then used a bandsaw to carefully cut the block into slices.
Oefner then arranged the small slices into an exploded view that provides a glimpse into the guts of the camera.
Oefner also made a few study models of sliced Leica M6s using plaster:
“In the field of quantum mechanics, there is a law, which says that we cannot measure the position and the velocity of a particle at the same time,” Oefner writes. “The more accurately we know one of these parameters, the less accurately we know the other.
“When you look at the Heisenberg Objekt No. 03 from a distance, you can easily identify the object. However, if you start to get closer to observe its inner workings, the shape of the object starts to get distorted and vanishes completely. As an observer you are never able to observe the object as a whole and its inner workings simultaneously. The more accurately you see one view, the less clearly you see the other.
“The sculpture is an artistic equivalent of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.”
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how these sculptures are made:
Oefner is known for his photos showing “exploded views” of various things, and he previously sliced up other vintage cameras as well.
You can find more of Oefner’s work on his website and Instagram.
(via Studio Oefner via Leica Rumors)
