Architecture of Absence

Candida Hofer, 
James Casbere and Thomas Demand 

Hofer uses empty room's in her work photographing the whole space with out a soul in sight. The work is eerie but at the same time interesting with a strong use of symmetry to encapsulating the rooms that she looks at, many of them happen to be places of work or leaning such as libraries and offices.

Candida Höfer - Johnen Galerie Berlin

    

However she does all so look at the more public buildings such as palaces and theatres all over the world. These   buildings are grand and Hofer really captures the size and scale of these buildings, with the beauty of them through the emptiness and the lighting. 

                                                                                    
While reading through chapter two of Charrlote Cottons The Photograph as Contemporary art, James Casbere jumped out as being very similar to that of Candida Hofer. Due to the absence of people in both their work and the use of architectural spaces. 


He investigates the idea of large spaces with all the traces of people beaning removed. (wirrtier / date) 
In this seance their works are ver similar.     
However Casbere's work is different in a vital way to that of Hofer. His spaces as replicas of the real spaces that he had been to. Instead of creating the idea of space Casbere floods many of them to give the feeling of disorientation and claustrophobia. 

  

James Casebere - Monticello #3 2001

Thomas Demand also makes models of places and buildings, however his approach is not to flood them and remove the humanity form the spaces but to create a scene that is made of paper, Styrofoam and card. Demand then photographs the spaces and leaves in any imperfections that might have occurred in the construction of the spaces. The reason for this is to allow the viewer to question his images on their authenticity, therefore this then in turn causes the viewer to question other works by other artist that they might see.

Thomas Demand - Drafting Room 1996

Tableau photography, the art of staging an image with the intention to make it appear really and have a strong level of believability. what these images have in common is there subject matter, however Casbere and Demand both stage their work  while Hofer (not a tableau photographer)  takes her images of the space and surroundings that she is in. 
Take this for example if you were to see a Demamd image and a Hofer would you believe that one of really while the other is staged, or would you believe that both were the real authentic setting? What makes you beilive Hofers images more then Demand for example, the scale of Hofers images is a very big give away that they are taken on location. However with Casbere this is not the case, his images are very convincing, if it was not for the water and finaly Demand his images are convincing to the eye even though they are constructed from cardboard and paper, but the use of imperfections allows us not to be fooled by his images and many other artists work.