Caroline and Bob at Glacier Point, Sep 15, 2005, 7pm
6x7" Diapositive
History Repeats Itself, Vol. 4
Synopsis
The project is a tribute to the legendary Ansel Adams, the renowned American photographer, and environmentalist, celebrated for his iconic black and white landscape photography of the American West, particularly Yosemite, where he captured some of his most popularised images. In 2005, a team of astronomy-forensic researchers from Texas State University examined Adams's work, rectifying historical date-time records related to his "Autumn Moon, the High Sierra from Glacier Point."
Having read about that research in the L.A. Times, Swiss artist Christoph Draeger decided to visit Yosemite on 15 September 2005, 3 lunar cycles later, for a re-creation of the 1948 image. There, witnessing the dramatic turn out, Draeger envisioned a conceptual exhibition project to commemorate the 2024 event. The project aims to materialise Draeger's vision of the sociality of nature photography by showcasing all photographs taken during the rare celestial event at Glacier Point by the various photographers present. Later, Draeger will compile the photographs together into a photo book, to be published by jb books&projects, Geneva.
Draeger plans to continue this initiative in 2043 and possibly 2062, offering a unique perspective on landscape changes in times of unprecedented climatic pressure, while honouring Ansel Adams's legacy as an early environmentalist.
History
Ansel Adams (1902-1984) was a renowned American photographer and environmentalist known for his iconic black and white landscape photography, particularly of the American West, and is considered one of the most influential photographers in the history of photography. One of Adams' works, “Autumn Moon, the High Sierra from Glacier Point”, shot in Yosemite National Park featuring a waxing gibbous Moon rising over mountains of the Clark Range in the Southeast, is particularly celebrated. His photographs of Yosemite helped to raise awareness of its natural beauty and played a significant role in the conservation, preservation, and appreciation of the Yosemite Area. His father Charles Adams was heavily influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson's writings. He believed strongly in the Transcendentalist ideas of individuality and direct union with God in nature, which he transmitted to young Ansel.* It is certainly noteworthy that Go West - Young Men! was a slogan of a colonising movement, rubbing the earth of indigenous people in the American West. Coloniser have been obsessed to preserve parts of the colonised land in a « virgin » state. Focusing on conservation's impact on local inhabitants, Karl Jacoby traces in his book “Crimes against Nature Squatters, Poachers, Thieves, and the Hidden History of American Conservation” the effect of criminalising such traditional practices as hunting, fishing, foraging, and timber cutting in the newly created national parks.
Research from Texas State University
In 2005, a team of astronomers at Texas State University, San Marcos, applied their unique brand of forensic astronomy to Adams's Autumn Moon, the High Sierra from Glacier Point, shedding new light on the celestial scene. Texas State physics professors Donald Olson and Russell Doescher, along with Mitte Honors students Kara Holsinger, Louie Dean Valencia, and Ashley Ralph, published their findings in the October 2005 edition of Sky & Telescope magazine.
This analysis revealed a curious mistake that Adams made during bookkeeping. Adams kept detailed notes on the technical aspects of his photographs but information about the location, date, and time of his images was often incomplete or contradictory. Such is the case with Autumn Moon for which Adams gave the date of the photograph as 1944, while other sources listed it as from 1948.
After consulting lunar tables, topographic maps, weather records, and astronomical software, the Texas State researchers determined that Adams created Autumn Moon on Sept. 15, 1948, at 7:03 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Additionally, the team determined that Adams had set up his tripod just off the trail below the stone Geology Hut at Glacier Point, pinpointing the location to within 10 feet. During the research, Olson stumbled across a color version of Autumn Moon, published in the July 1954 issue of Fortune magazine, taken during the same session at 7:01 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, roughly 2½ minutes prior to the black-and-white version — just enough time for Adams to change the film holder and adjust the settings on his camera.
15 Sept 2005
For fans of Adams's photography, 2005 offered a rare opportunity to relive the scene of Autumn Moon — both color and black-and-white versions. That year, the progression of 19-year-long lunar Metonic cycles coincided with that of 1948 — meaning that skywatchers at Glacier Point were in for a celestial encore. "We do have lots of people showing up at Glacier Point for every full Moon," park ranger Dick Ewart explained. "But it's never been like this. Perhaps there will be a similar gathering on September 15, 2024, when the Sun and Moon will once again create the same memorable scene."
The Swiss conceptual artist Christoph Draeger was on Glacier Point in Yosemite on September 15, 2005, for the recreation of the Ansel Adams photograph. Two weeks prior, he happened upon an article in the LA Times while installing an exhibition centered on his remake of the 1972 Munich Olympic games terrorist attacks, and decided on the spot to engage in a new adventure, a possible new project to add to his research about the notion of the remake in contemporary art.
Finally, on September 15, 2005, on Glacier Point, as everybody else was busy taking their own personal Ansel Adams picture, Draeger was focusing his camera on the gathering of hundreds of fans rather than trying his hand on a remake.
It was only days later that he had the idea for a conceptual exhibition project: to showcase the photographs taken by all, or as many photographers as possible, in that moment. Too late. Since it was not possible to track down more than a handful possible participants, he decided to postpone the project to 2024. He also decided that he will be focusing on publishing a photo book as the main output, to go together with a possible exhibition. With jb books&projects, Geneva., he has found a publisher committed to print, publish, and distribute the book.´
Walter Benjamins theory of the loss of aura of the painted or sculpted art work through the photographic reproduction, could be applied in relation to the mass of photographic representation of the Yosemite landscape in a full-moon-light. Draeger’s future collection of photographs of Autumn Moon shot at the same moment can be also seen as a metaphor of the hundred of millions of photographs shot every day all over the globe, replacing often the photographed object.
15 Sept 2024
Next September 15, exactly four Metonic cycles will have passed since Adams photographed a waxing gibbous Moon rising over the Clark Range, presenting a scene that will closely duplicate the one in 1948. This is a unique, once-in-nineteen-years opportunity for Christoph Draeger and his team to visit Yosemite, collect the photographs, and publish the photo book!
Like in 2005, even the direction of sunlight and shadows will be repeated, so whoever plans to make a remake should come to Glacier Point when the Moon's position will match the Adams photographs at 6:50 p.m. and 6:52 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on September 15th. The balance of light between the rising Moon, the setting Sun and the shadows in the foreground mountains will last for just a few seconds and will provide a rare opportunity to share Ansel Adams's experience from half a century ago.
The Project
Christoph Draeger plans to catalyse interest for this event with a (social) media campaign, to make sure that an important number of photographers will be able to participate in the project. Christoph Draeger, also makes a commitment to continue the project in 2043, and if possible, 2062, when he will be 97 years old. This kind of epic time span will most probably reveal some dramatic changes to this celebrated landscape due to climate change. Draeger hopes to draw attention to the many challenges nature faces, and at the same time honour the memory of Ansel Adams, who was one of the world’s earliest and most prominent environmentalists.
*https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/ansel-adams-1902-1984/
