The magazine of the photo-essay
July 2018 back issue
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film maker
by Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger
Double Take presents thirty-nine uncannily accurate reconstructions of the great
images and moments from history – ranging from the earliest known photograph,
through the landmark events of the 20th and 21st century, the icons of popular
culture and the art world, to the world’s most expensive photograph. These
intricately crafted works have been created in miniature by photographers Jojakim
Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger. Inspired by the record auction price of $4.3m set
by Andreas Gursky’s Rhein II in 2011, they set themselves a challenge: could they
use model making and lighting skills to reconstruct the Gursky image in their
Zürich studio? The photograph they created from a miniaturized diorama of Rhein
II was a success. It worked! This one-off challenge became the starting point for a
larger personal project by the duo – a whole series of increasingly elaborate and
difficult recreations of photographs of pivotal events throughout history. The whole
world, and the surface of the moon, were conjured in their studio.
Double Take is not just a technical tour de force – it opens up a wider consideration of image making, of the ‘slideshow’ of
famous photographs we each hold in our memory, and of the problem at the heart of the medium: can the photographic
image ever be trusted? With a full selection of images showing the making of the reconstructions in the studio, an
introduction by Christian Caujolle, a supporting essay by Florian Ebner (of the Pompidou Centre) and an indepth interview
with the photographers, Double Take is the perfect volume for all with a love of photography with a twist and a sense of
humour.
Making of ‘The Last Photo of the Titanic Afloat’ (by Francis Browne, 1912), 2014.
Making of ‘Grand Prix A.C. F.’ (by Jacques-Henri Lartigue, 1913), 2016.
Making of ‘Five Soldiers Silhouetted at the Battle of Broodseinde’ (by Ernest Brooks, 1917),
2013.
Making of ‘Milk Drop Coronet’ (by Harold Edgerton, 1957), 2016.
Making of ‘AS11-40-5878’ (by Edwin Aldrin, 1969), 2014.
Making of ‘Untitled’ (by William Eggleston, 1973), 2016.
