Birgit Jensen / Jochen Saueracker

Birgit Jensen The Mars Rover Project

Although the images of Mars sent back to Earth by the rovers Spirit and Opportunity appear to us to be realistic depictions of the planet, they are in reality a compilation of data assembled on earth to fulfil our expectations of what an image of the planet should look like. The transformation of light frequencies into data and from data into legible images or virtual 3-D scenarios is a complex process involving a variety of different processes. Information is added and lost with every Transmission and every transition between media. The transformation of a photo into a printer´s proof through the filtering and disassembly of visual information and its reassembly in the form of individually rastered levels changes not only the specific components of the image but also the character of the image. The Mars images emphasize this individuality - both its contextual and technical qualities - to underline the vast array of possibilities for the depiction of visible facts, let alone the infinite potentials for the depiction of the universe.

Birgit Jensen, 2007

Birgit Jensen
The Mars Rover Project

&

Jochen Saueracker
Linocuts