TEN PINHOLE STRUCTURES D 3, 3.1-3.9, 1967-1994 is an artwork of ten gelatin silver prints created by Gottfried Jäger. It belongs to a group of works that explore generative photography on a systematic-constructive basis.
The series of works to which this artwork belongs was created as a contribution to the field of generative photography. The first eight series, referred to as programs 3.1-3.8, were exposed on color and black-and-white materials (paper and film) between January 12 and 30, 1967. The unique prints from this series were produced on color paper (series 3.1 and 3.2) and on film, allowing for duplications (prints). The black-and-white series 3.8 represents a preliminary conclusion, with image number 14 (the last in the series) serving as the basis for further modifications based on specific design parameters. This particular image was designated "3.8.14 A" and became a key image for the subsequent creation of around 200 derived images.
Pinhole structures, as seen in this artwork, originate from the principle of optical imaging found in the camera obscura (pinhole camera). Jäger developed this concept into a complex optical system, a variable multiple pinhole camera. This system provided a method for designing geometric patterns according to a programmed and comprehensible generative image grammar. The initial works from this series were exhibited at the Generative Photography exhibition in 1968 at Kunsthaus Bielefeld, which showcased works by other artists such as Breier, Cordier, and Gravenhorst, accompanied by texts from Herbert W. Franke and Gottfried Jäger.
The artwork has been exhibited and published in various contexts, including the first exhibition at Kunsthaus Bielefeld in February and March 1968. It was also featured in publications such as "Generative Fotografie" in Foto Prisma (Düsseldorf, 1969) and "Pinhole Structures: Generative Photographic Works 1967-1974" in Pinhole Journal (San Lorenzo, NM, USA, 1989), with a subsequent reprint in HyperSpace (Kyoto, Japan, 1998).
Notable collections that include Jäger's works are the Etzold Collection, the Program Random System at the Städtisches Museum Abteiberg Mönchengladbach, the Peter C. Ruppert Collection: Concrete Art in Europe after 1945 at the Museum im Kulturspeicher Würzburg, and the Photographic Collection at Museum Folkwang Essen.
Presented by Photo Edition Berlin as part of REIMAGINE TOMORROW, 1954-2024: AI in Context #2, 17–24 November 2024, at Heilig Geist, on the occasion of the AI Biennale in Essen, Germany.