At a turning point in the history of the aeronautic era, Aircraft : The New Anatomy challenges the perception of the aviation industry and common conventions of photography.
Between 2017 and 2020, French artist Maxime Guyon visited major European airplane manufacturers and other key players in this industry.
With a strong conceptual aesthetic and a fascination for details, Guyon has created a photographic essay that approaches this topic in a whole new way. The series of images explores the captivating evolution of the aircraft industry as well as the constant expectation of progress within technology.
Combining the principles of “form follows function” and the aesthetics of our post-industrial era, the book reopens the visual discussion that was first introduced in 1935 by Le Corbusier’s publication Aircraft : The New Vision.
The photo essay of Guyon is contextualized through a concise essay written by the ethnographer Nicolas Nova.
Through an anthropological lens, Nova compares artificial objects (such as aircraft parts) with natural species. The design principles of aeronautical technology are compelled to follow the rules of physics. Maxime Guyon’s images serve as an evolutionary metaphor and starting point for a broader discourse on manmade artifacts and the ambivalent relationship between nature and technology.
The book is aimed at people with an affinity for contemporary photography and aviation enthusiasts alike.
Published by Lars Müller Publishers in Zurich
Printed by DZA Druckerei zu Altenburg
Format 22 × 28 cm,
125 pages, hardcover,
64 illustrations.
Essay by Nicolas Nova published in English.
