Photographer blends science and art by slicing up a Leica M6 rangefinder

Swiss photographer Fabian Oefner specializes in dissecting objects and photographing them in stunning detail. His work is meticulously and thoughtfully crafted. One of Oefner’s more famous series, ‘Disintegrating,’ features images of performance cars seemingly being blown apart. Fabian’s latest project, ‘Heisenberg Objekt No. III,’ features a sliced up Leica M6 rangefinder camera.

Oefner’s primary material for his latest project is, of course, a Leica M6. A used M6 can be found for around $2,500. He then covered the camera in a resin block and then used a bandsaw to cut the block into its requisite parts.

Once Oefner had made his careful cuts, he assembled the pieces into a beautiful sculpture. The sculpture is held together using pieces of brass.

Of ‘Heisenberg Objekt No. III,’, which is inspired by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Oefner writes, ‘In the field of quantum mechanics, there is a law, which says that we cannot measure the position and the velocity of a particle at the same time. The more accurately we know one of the parameters, the less accurately we know the other.’

Oefner continues, ‘When you look at the Heisenberg Objekt No. III from a distance, you can easily identify the object. However, if you start to get closer to observe its inner workings, the shape of the object starts to get distorted and vanishes completely. As an observer, you are never able to observe the object as a whole and its inner workings simultaneously. The more accurately you see one view, the less clearly you see the other.’

In addition to the Leica M6 sculpture he made using resin, Oefner also built a few models using plaster, which you can see below.

Oefner shared a behind the scenes video on Instagram. You can check that out below.

Marrying photography and science is a prevalent theme throughout Oefner’s work. At TEDxWarwick, Oefner gave a presentation about when science meets art. That presentation is below.

In another TED Talk, Oefner discussed this topic while also performing a live demonstration on stage.

Last June, as part of ‘Heartbeat of the Earth,’ a series of interactive artwork centered around interpreting climate data, Oefner explored the retreat of a pair of glaciers in Switzerland over the last 140 years. You can check that out below.

To keep up with Fabian Oefner’s work, visit his website and follow him on Instagram.

Image credits: All images shared with permission from Fabian Oefner