© Thomas Herbrich / AnzenbergerGallery
Anzenberger Gallery Absberggasse 27 1100 Vienne Autriche
The mother of all conspiracy theories remains whether the American really did land on the moon or whether it was all staged in a studio. «Both!» states Thomas Herbrich, who claims he can prove this with photos from the legacy of his uncle Stanley Herbrich, a former NASA director. What really happened can now be seen in Herbrich’s The truth about the moon landing exhibition. According to American law, confidential NASA documents are to be kept secret for 50 years – now Stanley Herbrich’s photos can finally be shown. This whole affair is one big spoof – but it goes deeper than is obvious at first sight. Where does our interest in conspiracy theories actually come from? At what point are we prepared to believe what we see in a picture? Why are old photos more believable than today’s? Why do we trust more in the power of images than in that of words? Thomas Herbrich’s conspiracy theory is burlesque and hilarious, but the question remains: might it really have been like that? After all, he is the only one to provide “proof” of his theory with actual photos!
Thomas Herbrich is born in 1955. His motto is: «Surprise yourself – and your audience!» He loves the spectacular. His photos often entail a great deal of time and effort, resulting in scenes otherwise associated with Hollywood movies. It is not without reason that he created the special effects for Roland Emmerich’s first movie, and he calls the great American director Stanley Kubrick his «guru». A trained photographer, he decided against entering the cine film trade and being a «small fish in a big pond», and instead brought the world of film into his photos. As such he has total control over the final result. He even has his own workshop for special scenery and staging effects.His photos always toy with reality. He twists and distorts the contents … but only to the point that still leaves them believable. Like in the film world, his aim is to entertain, inspire and amaze his audience. Photo composition is the mainstay of his work; he is a recognized pioneer of digital image composition, an area he has been working in since 1990. Thomas Herbrich also talks about his work in a very entertaining way. He regularly speaks at events on professional photography, at universities and schools of photography all over the world.
© Thomas Herbrich / AnzenbergerGallery
Vignette : © Thomas Herbrich / AnzenbergerGallery