TRUE PERSPECTIVE by Philippe Braquenier

2016
From the series Earth Not a Globe
Archival pigment print and sandblasted acrylic
30 x 40 in
Edition 2 of 3
Framed

“Firstly with my preliminary research, it was interesting to see that the flat-earthers were mostly mocked. In the 21st century, it certainly seems crazy to think that the earth could be flat. After all, over 2500 years of accumulated scientific knowledge is being rejected with this statement.  The aim of this project was not to talk about them alone, but mainly concerned with conspiracy theories in the broadest sense and on the cognitive biases associated with them. I therefore chose to get as close as possible to their points of view, which made even more sense given their use of empirical methods. By virtually integrating myself into their community, I noticed above all that they were people who were plagued by doubt and who had a total lack of trust in higher institutions. I also wanted to use this doubt, as well as my authority as a photographer, to evolve in this grey area between fiction and documentary… I noticed above all, that they were people who were plagued by doubt and who had a total lack of trust in higher institutions.”

—Philippe Braquenier, from his interview with Sophie Beerens for GUP Magazine 

The series Earth Not a Globe is inspired by the Flat-Earth community, whose members believe our planet is flat rather than spherical. Named after Samuel Birley Rowbotham's 19th-century works, this project explores how movements gain momentum in the digital age through widespread communication technologies. Flat-Earthers claim to trust only what they can directly observe while employing empirical approaches, yet paradoxically use manipulated photomontages as evidence while rejecting NASA's globe images as fabrications of a “round Earth conspiracy.”

Photographer Braquenier creates a tension between authenticity and fiction by using a large format 4×5 camera—typically associated with documentary photography—while actually staging all images. Each photograph is inspired by Flat-Earth mythology, recreating scenes and visual claims from the community. Through this deliberate approach, Braquenier questions visual authority in a post-truth era, examining how facts have become subjective, truth increasingly contested, and reality understood as a social construct influenced by personal biases. The work positions Flat-Earth belief as a quintessential conspiracy theory that offers believers both simplified explanations for complex phenomena and the satisfaction of possessing “secret knowledge.”

Philippe Braquenier (born 1985, Belgium) is a photographer and artist fascinated by knowledge, intrigued by how it is collected, used, shared and stored. Manifesting these ideas in photographs that depict the ethereal data centers where humanity’s information is stored, or through images of exposed but unrevealed photographic film, Braquenier’s work prompts a discourse about our obsession to preserve information in a time when data is becoming ever more omnipresent yet all the more unseen. With his restrained and impassive perspective, Braquenier then connects these ideas to those on a much larger scale, of evolution, sustainability and the precarious character of the digital revolution.

Barquenier received his BFA in photography from the HELB and has exhibited in Aperture Foundation in New York, The Venice Biennale 2018 and Fotomuseum Antwerpen (FOMU) among other institutions and galleries. His work has recently been published in Wired, Wall Street International, Wallpaper, and BLOW Magazine.

Archival pigment prints use refined pigment particles to create exquisite, high-resolution artwork. This printing method creates museum-quality artwork designed to last; ink and paper are critical elements in an archival pigment print’s life span.