Wolkenstudien Cloud Studies Études des Nuages

From 23 March to 26 May, the Netherlands Photo Museum will present the exhibition entitled Cloud Studies | Scientific View of the Heavens. Tshis exhibition demonstrates that, due to photography, the knowledge and documentation of meteorological phenomena have developed at an extraordinary pace, ranging from the initial attempts in this domain in 1880 to the first satellite pictures in 1960.

Helmut Völter, who compiled the exhibition, has managed to gather unique visual material worldwide, from Japan to the USA and Europe. In Cloud Studies he illustrates the evolution of the photography of space in six different phases. It is a journey through the history of meteorological documentation. The photos were primarily intended for scientific goals but can also be appreciated on the basis of their considerable aesthetic quality.

With Cloud Studies, the Netherlands Photo Museum pays attention to a current reinterpretation and re-evaluation of the history of analogue (documentary) photography, which has led to the increasing popularity of ‘found footage’ and ‘useful photography’

Journey through time
At the end of the 19th century, photography gave an enormous impulse to meteorology. In contrast to drawing, for example, photography made it possible to record cloud formations very accurately, to compare images with one another, and to draw scientific conclusions on that basis. This international group exhibition shows the most important developments in the scientific photography of clouded skies. The exhibition presents some of the first pictures by Albert Riggenbach, an astronomer, meteorologist and geophysicist from Basel. His photos set the first international standard in the field of observation and nomenclature of clouds. Other researchers soon followed, with sharp observations and conclusions on the basis of photography. Yet others combined various techniques to arrive at new insights, such as the Japanese meteorologist Masanao Abe who was mainly engaged with cloud movement. He captured clouds at a specific moment, after which he could document their form and movement on film. He could determine the format and the direction of movement by means of stereophotogrammetry. Finally, by means of drawings and topographical maps he was able to determine their location with great precision.

Focus on different phases
Each of the six phases displays a different development in the history of cloud study. In the early times, photographs were generally taken from ground level. However, the 20th century witnessed the rise of many new opportunities for research. The exhibition shows how the advent of aircraft widened the photographic perspective. The first extraterrestrial satellite images are also part of this multi-faceted Cloud Studies exhibition, which provides insight into the various practical applications of photography in the field of meteorology. Artist and graphic designer Helmut Völter compiled not only the exhibition but also the accompanying photobook. At present he is affiliated to the Jan van Eyck Academie as a researcher. Cloud Studies | Scientific View of the Heavens has been made possible by support from the Goethe-Institut Nederland.