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Photo Book Reviews

Attracted to Light by Mike & Doug Starn (powerHouse) Reviewed by Tina Maas Twin brothers Mike and Doug Starn take an interesting look at the forces that cause moths and other insects to be drawn to light sources with some striking macro images in Attracted to Light. Article rating: 6.20

Appropriately entitled “Attracted to light”, the latest book by the accomplished photographer duo Mike and Doug Starn concentrates on insects and moths and encompasses many mediums from photography to film and installations. The identical twin brothers work collaboratively from their studio in Brooklyn, New York where their most recent work is suffused with a strong handmade feel and an emphasis on texture. For years the twins patiently explored the nocturnal and ephemeral nature of moths, working on capturing the mysteries and magnetic forces that draw these creatures to light onto film. The resulting intricately detailed macroscopic portraits appear fragile yet darkly mysterious, which stems from the fascination imbued in their tattered, powdery and paper thin wings. By coating gelatin emulsion onto handmade Mulberry paper, which they subsequently tone in sulphur, part of the image flakes off during development, which in turn subtly alludes to the brittleness and transient nature of the moth’s existence.

Alongside articles by Vladimir Nabokov, Demetrio Paparoni and Victor Pelevin the book showcases the most intriguing results of their ambitious and laborious project ranging in scale from miniscule to monumental and stretching across various media including video stills and delicate works on paper.

The brittle, earmarked and torn strips of paper resemble the short and battered lives of moths in that they too are lightweight and often pinned to a wall in reminiscence of butterfly collections. Unearthed from darkness and ignorance the magnified moths stare at the viewer bewildered and startled, but when confronted with enormous antlers and gigantic eyes we might return that sentiment and feel we are facing alien monsters in mutual sympathy.

The Starn Twins often create large scale collages made up of up to 150 separate small photographic images glued together, endowing their composite photographs with further meaning. This instils their pieces with a strong craft based element and enhances the textural quality of the work. They took the ancient art form of photography and choose to make the physicality of the materials central to the work, bringing the human touch back to an increasingly mechanical and digital medium.

Articulating the philosophy behind their torn and taped photo-collages the Starn Brothers said: "We want to make the viewer feel the photography, as a painter makes you feel the paint, with drips and brushstrokes." They certainly achieved their aim when an art critic described the quality of their recent work as “the downy, velvety textures, the blurry translucence of various families of moths are rendered so delicately you would be afraid to run your finger across the paper….”

By making the attraction to light their central theme they are consciously referring to the history and invention of the medium of photography itself. The Starn Twins work illustrates a certain element of unpredictability and daring in their art, which makes their approach so unique and successful. Their working method is intentionally susceptible to mistakes, which are happily incorporated and even contribute to the conceptual message of the piece. The overall quality of their photography is very organic, tactile and unconventional and their experimental photographic process is justified by the integration of subject matter and choice of surface medium.

The |Starn Twins are recognized internationally for their contribution to the field of photography and are the recipients of numerous awards and grants for their outstanding and experimental approach. Their work is part of major collections worldwide and has been exhibited widely both in the United States, Europe and Asia. This book is a treat for the lover of eccentric, fine art photography.

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