“Work is love made visible”
March 6, 2020
Capturing the spirit of nature and bringing its magic to the world by transforming it into light and colours. For Philipp Frank, love and passion is the driving source of his artistic process. His reflections, observations and artistic work is done with the utmost respect and love for all that surrounds us.
Seeing Philipp Frank’s videos, whether it is a dance of flames, water elements, textures of plants or colours reflected back on nature, brings us memories of a world, when we humans still lived in harmony and respect with the natural world that surrounds us.
The artist becomes the healer, acting as a medium between the visible and the spirit world. And as a healer, Frank connects us through the blend of spirit and technology, to nature and all its creation with his own creative spirit.
Frank’s artistic expression developed from as early on as his childhood. He got to know the very first computers and videocameras through his father. During this period of the ‘80s and ‘90s this was considered as something very special. These first glimpses into technology and digital tools that he later used in his creative processes, influenced him a lot.
Already at an early age and up until today, he spends a lot of time in the nature, in forests, among trees and rivers. He observes and plays with the natural surroundings.
“Some years ago I started to paint graphic pattern on dead tree trunks. This was the analog beginning of this project. Later, I discovered projection mapping as a wonderful technique. Real magic created with light on objects in front of your eyes. Nature itself is just the greatest artist of all times. All those beautiful landscapes, organic shapes and colors. Just made sense to combine all of this” describes Frank.
The tools that Frank uses for his art are innovative and used by many other artists and those working in the creative field. What sets Frank apart from other creative minds is his deep love and passion for everything he does, which is translated into a unique visual beauty. His visions reflect Khalil Gibran’s quote: “Work is love made visible”.
“I am a reflective person, who likes to observe and listen. Almost everything around inspires me. I love the beauty in the details and discovering the macrocosmos in the microcosmos. My visible work is the essence of those feelings and processes, which I share with the public” Frank explains his process in detail.
Art plays a huge part in Frank’s life. It is his calling, the one that permeates his moments, without putting limits between artistic and other areas of his life. Just as during all journeys, the artistic one brought often challenges for Frank, which however added to his own growth. One of such challenges was being able to focus, especially when there was a creative overflow of ideas and possibilities. Frank describes it as a phase when he wanted to realize everything at the same time, blocking him from creating. Sometimes this blockage made him end up doing nothing at all.
Many creative people, artists experience such phases of blockages, when the overflow of impressions actually create the opposite effect of not being able to realize anything. Perfectionism has been another challenge for Frank, limiting him in his creative processes and in developing his visions.
Keeping the balance and the focus on the creative flow can be disrupted by many distractions. One of these distractions is the need to promote oneself. The line between creating and making one’s work seen and heard is quite thin, and it takes an inner learning to find the right balance for all those who aim at both.
Overcoming these challenges was possible for Frank by being guided by his inner wisdom and observing nature.
“Over the years my attitude changed. Learning again from nature, where everything is perfect and balanced as it is. Nowadays I trust more in life and the decisions I take. The right things will happen at the right time. Do it with love and passion and it will be successful sooner or later. Life is so simple” says Frank with a deep knowing.
Frank’s artworks are public, to be felt and to have an impact directly, which brings his message instantly to those viewing it. When asked about what motivates him to bring art closer to people, Frank reminds us with the saying: “Earth without ‘art’ is just ‘eh’” followed by his question: “What would human life be without artworks touching our hearts and souls?”.
In his view, art was and is an essential part of our society. It is beautiful, inspiring and has transformative powers. Therefore, it should happen in public, be free and accessible for everybody.
“My motivation are people’s reactions and the influence my art might have on them. Also, I love the process of transforming existing objects by adding a new layer. Probably an influence of all the years as a graffiti writer.
In the “Elements” series for example, I record nature related footage to create artistic video animations out of it. Then I project them back with light (beamer) onto other nature elements. Creating a temporary artwork of something real, that becomes digital and then real again. A Real Virtuality if you want” puts Frank into words his motivations.
Talking about the future and how he sees it, Frank gives an insight into his own future work. He envisions to further combine art, technology and spirituality.
His dream is to continue “creating transformative artworks and spaces that will hopefully inspire, empower and calm people. Supporting a reconnection towards our true selves and this beautiful planet. I think this kind of work is needed in those busy and ephemeral times...”
Frank’s art and his process of creation is an authentic example of the transformative power of art. He shows us a way by which blending artistic expression with digital tools, can create something beautiful and yet allows us to stay humble in front of the grandeur of mother nature with the utmost respect towards it.
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Tags: elements, nature, organic, Philipp Frank, projection mapping, public art, spirituality, technology
