The vast disparity between the worlds of science and art blur within Fabian Oefner’s creative vision, where the hybrid of technicality and aesthetical value triumph in images that recall a clever manipulation of time. The 31-year-old’s latest project, Disintegrating, sees vintage sports cars such as the 1954 Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, the 1961 Jaguar E Type and the 1967 Ferrari 330 P4 exploding into individual car parts – a still in time that celebrates mechanical finesse.
Exploding million-dollar cars in the name of art sounds drastic. Car aficionados may be looking at the photographs with their hearts in a pinch, but Oefner’s deconstruction of the prized vehicles was meticulously achieved through the process of photographing parts after parts and digitally piecing them together in scale, spanning months of tireless effort. No cars were harmed in the making of the Swiss artist’s project.
When asked of the idea behind Disintegrating, Oefner explains that the series focuses on inventing time that is separate from reality.
“When you look at these images, you believe you are looking at a car that is torn apart by gravity or centrifugal forces. But this moment never happened. It is your mind that makes you believe you are looking at that, when in fact, it is something different.”
Oefner’s unique works has been exhibited in a number of European countries, and he was even invited in 2013 to give a TEDx talk titled Psychedelic Science, with a live demonstration on the process behind two of his older works, Millefiori and Aurora.
With an eye that draws inspiration from the most seemingly mundane of daily activities, Oefner’s artwork remains fresh, exciting and unconventional – traits that will only become more evident in his upcoming endeavors.
For the full story of A Lapse in Time, read the April Issue of Men’s Folio.
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