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Art duo create 3D miniatures of historic events

By Malaika Byng, The Spaces

Updated 0658 GMT (1458 HKT) May 25, 2017

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In their their ongoing Icons series, Swiss artists duo Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger creates 3D miniatures of iconic photographs.
Photos: Art duo create 3D miniatures of iconic photos in their studio
Making of '9/11' (by John Del Giorno, 2001) 2013 by Cortis & Sonderegger – In their their ongoing Icons series, Swiss artists duo Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger creates 3D miniatures of iconic photographs.
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Cortis and Sonderegger pull back the camera from their sculptures to reveal the surrounding studio and their craft made of materials such as cardboard, wood, cotton wool and glue.
Photos: Art duo create 3D miniatures of iconic photos in their studio
Making of 'Concorde' (by Toshihiko Sato, 2000) 2013 by Cortis & Sonderegger – Cortis and Sonderegger pull back the camera from their sculptures to reveal the surrounding studio and their craft made of materials such as cardboard, wood, cotton wool and glue.
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East Wing director Elie Domit says, "they force you to really examine the photographs. Today, we consume so much imagery, we take things at face value and fail to look at the details."
Photos: Art duo create 3D miniatures of iconic photos in their studio
Making of 'Tian'anmen' (by Stuart Franklin, 1989) 2013 by Cortis & Sonderegger – East Wing director Elie Domit says, "they force you to really examine the photographs. Today, we consume so much imagery, we take things at face value and fail to look at the details."
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Cortis and Sonderegger's Icons take weeks (and sometimes months) to assemble but are destroyed after they've been photographed to make space for the next recreation. This adds another layer to the narrative about time.
Photos: Art duo create 3D miniatures of iconic photos in their studio
Making of 'Five Soldiers Silhouette at the Battle of Broodseinde' (by Ernest Brooks, 1917) 2013 by Cortis & Sonderegger – Cortis and Sonderegger's Icons take weeks (and sometimes months) to assemble but are destroyed after they've been photographed to make space for the next recreation. This adds another layer to the narrative about time.
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Among their scenes is man's first step on the moon, recreated from Edwin Aldrin's 1969 image, and the Paris Concorde crash, as captured by Toshihiko Sato in 2000.
Photos: Art duo create 3D miniatures of iconic photos in their studio
Making of 'AS11-40-5878' (by Edwin Aldrin, 1969) 2014 by Cortis & Sonderegger – Among their scenes is man's first step on the moon, recreated from Edwin Aldrin's 1969 image, and the Paris Concorde crash, as captured by Toshihiko Sato in 2000.
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Story highlights

  • Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger create miniature replicas of iconic photographs
  • Their work will be displayed at Photo London this week
  • For more art stories, head to The Spaces

The Spaces is a digital publication that covers architecture, design and art.

(CNN)Swiss artists Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger play with history, creating 3D replicas of iconic photographs in their Zurich studio from cardboard, wood and glue.

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    For their ongoing Icons series -- on show at Photo London this week -- they 'remake' important world events. Among their scenes is man's first step on the moon, recreated from Edwin Aldrin's 1969 image, and the Paris Concorde crash, as captured by Toshihiko Sato in 2000.
    Their final compositions reveal their conceit. Cortis and Sonderegger pull back the camera from their sculptures to show the surrounding studio and the accoutrements of their craft -- glue, tape and cotton wool. Past and present intertwine, and the viewer is asked to question fact and fiction.
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    Impossible worlds caught on camera
    Impossible worlds caught on camera
    'One should not simply trust photography,' Cortis explains. 'When there was no digital image processing, there was still a means to stage a picture or direct it in one way.'
    The duo began the project as a joke in 2012. 'In our free time, when there's no money coming in, we decided to try to recreate the most expensive pictures in the world,' Cortis says.
    Now they've created a body of 50 images -- nine of which are being shown at Photo London by Dubai-based East Wing gallery -- that will culminate in a 2018 book, published by Thames & Hudson.
    At first glance it could appear like an elaborate movie set. In fact, it's a miniature model of photographer Sam Shere's well-known 1937 image of the Hindenburg disaster. The eerily realistic work is one of around a dozen famous pictures recreated by Swiss artists Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Sam Shere – At first glance it could appear like an elaborate movie set. In fact, it's a miniature model of photographer Sam Shere's well-known 1937 image of the Hindenburg disaster. The eerily realistic work is one of around a dozen famous pictures recreated by Swiss artists Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger.
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    Over the last three years, the artists have recreated some of history's most memorable scenes, spending anywhere from two days to two weeks on each model. One of the most taxing was Stuart Franklin's photograph of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. "Building he first tank was fun, the second one was ok, and then after that it was just hard work," said Cortis.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Stuart Franklin – Over the last three years, the artists have recreated some of history's most memorable scenes, spending anywhere from two days to two weeks on each model. One of the most taxing was Stuart Franklin's photograph of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. "Building he first tank was fun, the second one was ok, and then after that it was just hard work," said Cortis.
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    Each image steps back a little from the model, giving a sense of scale and revealing the equipment used in the making. "We didn't want to mislead people, and we wanted to show how we did it," said Cortis. Here, photographer John Thomas Daniels captured the Wright brothers' first flight in 1903.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    John Thomas Daniels – Each image steps back a little from the model, giving a sense of scale and revealing the equipment used in the making. "We didn't want to mislead people, and we wanted to show how we did it," said Cortis. Here, photographer John Thomas Daniels captured the Wright brothers' first flight in 1903.
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    Fishing wire and transparent paper were often used to suspend clouds, as seen in this recreated 1917 photo by Ernest Brooks of "Five Soldiers Silhouetted at the Battle of Broodseinde."
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Ernest Brooks – Fishing wire and transparent paper were often used to suspend clouds, as seen in this recreated 1917 photo by Ernest Brooks of "Five Soldiers Silhouetted at the Battle of Broodseinde."
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    The artworks raise interesting questions about authenticity -- are the original photographs any more real than the photographs of miniature models? "There are many miniatures that we did which were of faked or staged events," said Cortis. "Loch Ness is obviously faked. And there are stories on the web where people think Stanley Kubrick faked these moon pictures," he added of Buzz Aldrin's 1969 image of his bootprint.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Buzz Aldrin – The artworks raise interesting questions about authenticity -- are the original photographs any more real than the photographs of miniature models? "There are many miniatures that we did which were of faked or staged events," said Cortis. "Loch Ness is obviously faked. And there are stories on the web where people think Stanley Kubrick faked these moon pictures," he added of Buzz Aldrin's 1969 image of his bootprint.
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    Here, a recreated model of Francis Brown's 1912 "The Last Photo of the Titanic Afloat," appears to magically sail out of the page.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Francis Browne – Here, a recreated model of Francis Brown's 1912 "The Last Photo of the Titanic Afloat," appears to magically sail out of the page.
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    Look closer and you'll see the batteries on the left are the same size as this illuminated Concorde inspired by Toshihiko's 2000 photo.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Toshihiko Sato – Look closer and you'll see the batteries on the left are the same size as this illuminated Concorde inspired by Toshihiko's 2000 photo.
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    Cortis sees a distinction between world events we can remember, and those before our time. "In images like 9/11, everybody remembers what they were doing at the time. When people look at these pictures, the feelings are more personal," he said of Sean Adair's photo of the smoking World Trade Center.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Sean Adair – Cortis sees a distinction between world events we can remember, and those before our time. "In images like 9/11, everybody remembers what they were doing at the time. When people look at these pictures, the feelings are more personal," he said of Sean Adair's photo of the smoking World Trade Center.
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    "Can we ever really trust a photograph?" said Cortis, pondering the authenticity of Marmaduke Wetherell's 1934 image of the Loch Ness Monster.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    "Can we ever really trust a photograph?" said Cortis, pondering the authenticity of Marmaduke Wetherell's 1934 image of the Loch Ness Monster.
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    The artists used a toy store figurine to recreate this 2003 photo of a hooded prisoner at Abu Ghraib in Iraq.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Unknown U.S. soldier – The artists used a toy store figurine to recreate this 2003 photo of a hooded prisoner at Abu Ghraib in Iraq.
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    Playdough and women's stockings were used to create the man on the balcony in Ludwig Wegmann's haunting image of the 1972 Munich Olympics kidnapping.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Ludwig Wegmann – Playdough and women's stockings were used to create the man on the balcony in Ludwig Wegmann's haunting image of the 1972 Munich Olympics kidnapping.
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    The saying "making a mountain out of a molehill" is given new meaning in this model of Louis-Auguste Bisson and Auguste-Rosalie Bisson's 1861 "Ascent of Mont Blanc."
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Louis-Auguste Bisson and Auguste-Rosalie Bisson – The saying "making a mountain out of a molehill" is given new meaning in this model of Louis-Auguste Bisson and Auguste-Rosalie Bisson's 1861 "Ascent of Mont Blanc."
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    Bag loads of cotton wool was used to recreate Charles Levy's image of the 1945 bombing of Nagasaki, originally taken from one of the B-29 planes used in the U.S. attack on Japan.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Charles Levy – Bag loads of cotton wool was used to recreate Charles Levy's image of the 1945 bombing of Nagasaki, originally taken from one of the B-29 planes used in the U.S. attack on Japan.
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    It might seem simplistic compared to other images, by Andreas Gursky's "Rhein II" was the most expensive photograph ever sold, when it was auctioned for $4.3 million in 2011. The German photographer used digital imaging to remove passersby and buildings, giving the picture its uninterrupted view of the river. Whether it's an original, or a recreated model, reality is never clear-cut in the world of photography.
    Photos: The biggest moments in history come alive in tiny detail
    Andreas Gursky – It might seem simplistic compared to other images, by Andreas Gursky's "Rhein II" was the most expensive photograph ever sold, when it was auctioned for $4.3 million in 2011. The German photographer used digital imaging to remove passersby and buildings, giving the picture its uninterrupted view of the river. Whether it's an original, or a recreated model, reality is never clear-cut in the world of photography.
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    Their 3D miniatures are deliberately low-fi in construction. Look closely and you'll spot the wood grain that doubles for ripples on the sea, or the cotton wool used to evoke clouds. Photoshop work is restricted to colour adjustments only.
    Photo London runs until 21 May 2017 at Somerset House, London.
    For more art stories, head to The Spaces.