Photographic Research

I am photographing since I am the age of 3. It became my way of observing cities. Within explorative walks with my camera I search for differences, similarities, materiality which can be found in one city, leading to patterns. These formal observations grow into an photographic archive representing a status quo of involuntary sculptures in public and pseudo public spaces. Through this they transform into a theoretical base for questioning functionalities, shapes or definitions of what one sees or recognises as an art work. Further, the observations grows into an artistic practise leading to another layer of confrontation with the subject or formality of it.

Involuntary Sculptures in Urban Spaces

The series is based on the concept of "Involuntary Sculpture", which was coined by Brassaï and Francis Alÿs. The two artists photographed unintentional shapes such as crumpled paper or discarded chewing gum and viewed them as works of art. The present photographs are based on this definition. However, they differentiate themselves by focusing only on morphological byproducts in urban areas.

Urban spaces are shaped by a gathering of people: e.g. residents, construction workers and graffiti sprayers. The photographic research documents this collective authorship and shows how elements of the city are shaped by its residents. The resulting works of art are photographs that can be perceived as sculptures in the cityscape even without photographic documentation. Locuratolo thus refers to the situation in public space, as a work of art, and does not claim the photo to be the object of art as Duchamp did with his ready-made.

Since May 2019 I photograph involuntary sculptures wherever I go. Some insights to the growing archive: