Hélène Mauri

Mirrored Territories

In what ways is it possible to “create” a reflection? This is a question I’ve been asking myself over the past few years, during which I imagined that one day I might be able to create a reflection wherever I went.

The system ultimately implemented involves the use of a semi-reflective surface that, depending on its angle, allows different photographic fields to appear and overlap from a single vantage point. This presents a technical and creative challenge with every shot, requiring me first to find the right location, then the optimal angle for the mirror to achieve the perfect balance between the reflection and the elements of the initial viewpoint. By framing the shot through the glass, I thus obtain an entirely new image of the landscape before me.

In the two years since I developed this system, I have been able to refine its use and test it in various locations, particularly in Scandinavia: in Norway, in the Frognerseteren forest and along the route between Oslo and Bergen, and in Iceland.

These romantically inspired landscapes feature intertwining branches that confuse the viewer, who can no longer distinguish which elements belong to one or the other aspect of the landscape.