THE DOPPELGÄNGER SERIES – Mourning mirror for what is being lost
Susanne Fagerlund
THE DOPPELGÄNGER SERIES – MOURNING MIRRORS FOR WHAT LOST consists of photographs from nature reserves, collaborations with artificial intelligence (AI), holograms and video. Exploring the loss of biodiversity and unique biotopes, the project tackles our relationships of care and belonging to nature. Old-growth forests are essential biotopes for many plants and animals; cutting them down diminishes biodiversity and increases carbon dioxide emissions. For the project, the artist visits nature preserves – photographing, hiking, and experiencing the immersive feeling of forests. Afterwards, she collects her photographs into an archive of images with which to train the AI tool. Subsequently, AI mimics Fagerlund's photographs and creates interpreted artificial landscape images. The result of the collaboration is reminiscent of nature; though in fiction and mythology, the presence of a doppelgänger is often seen as a harbinger of future misfortune. From photographing her own images to the AI’s reformulation of her archive, the entire process is an act of mourning the things that are being lost.
Susanne Fagerlund (b. 1969) graduated with an MFA in Fine Arts from Gothenburg’s Valand Academy in 2021. She is currently following a post-master course at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, Sweden. As a lens-based artist, Fagerlund explores the extended complexities and boundaries of the medium. Her installations oscillate between photography, video and digital technologies – with the subject of human and nonhuman relationships an underlying current throughout. Since 2021, Fagerlund’s works have featured in several group and solo exhibitions in Sweden. In collaboration with Hasselblad Center, a forthcoming venture will mark the 100th anniversary of Gothenburg's Natural History Museum; using AI to process the museum’s photographic archive, the project establishes a speculative future where images of new plants and species are formed.
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Website: susannefagerlund.com