Andy Mattern

Ghost | Platinum photographs are considered to be the most permanent of all photographic processes, but they have a little-known side effect.. Their key ingredient, the noble metal platinum, reacts with other paper if left in prolonged contact. After decades, a faint mirror image appears on the nearby surface. In this project, these found “ghost” images are rephotographed and then made them permanent again as modern platinum prints. The intention of this circular process is to harness the mysterious visual qualities of the source images and point to a surprising wrinkle in the fabric of photographic representation. According to current research, the original platinum prints are not depleted in this process, meaning they can theoretically reproduce themselves infinitely if given enough time. andymattern.com