Hasta La Ideas

Black Noise, Danish photographer Keld Helmer-Petersen’s new book, features a collection of high contrast abstract images reminiscent of his work from the 1960s…

Black Noise, published by the Rocket Gallery, features flatbed and negative scans of black and white negatives, ink drawings, cut-up line negatives, even dead spiders, plants, old tape and misprinted supermarket receipts.

In many of the photographs Helmer-Petersen has adjusted the contrast to create stark, purely black and white images that hark back to image-making he was involved in in the 60s. Helmer-Petersen is now regarded as one of the pioneers of colour photography, his book, 122 Colour Photographs, appearing in 1948. (An edition of some of these images was published as 23 Colour Photographs by Chris Boot – the BBC website has five shots, here.)

Created in collaboration with Jens Frederiksen and book designer Michael Jensen, Black Noise runs to 78 pages and is limited to 1,000 copies (£25). Helmer-Petersen has also signed 100 copies, which are available for £35 each. To order a copy, email the Rocket Gallery’s Jonathan Stephenson on js.rocket@btinternet.com.

Subscribers can read our interview with Helmer-Petersen from our October 2007 issue, here. The Danish legend turns 91 this year.