The image shows a building on a pier on the south coast of England at low tide. The solid art deco building is truly supported by the fragile steel structure underneath. No montage is involed here.
But the image is also a stereo photography. When viewed with red/cyan glasses, the graphic structure of the image is broken and redefined and the photo can be viewed with true depth. The support looks even more fragile in the stereoscopic view and makes it hard to believe for the viewer, this structure will not collapse.
The stereo or 3D approach of this image resembles the history of photography back to the Victorian time in the 19th century, when stereo imaging was on of the most successful genres of photography. It dates back exactly to the time, when the pier opened to the public in April 1862. In the 19th century stereo photography was used to experience landmarks from all over the world in a vivid and fascinating way.
I use this technique in my photographic work to boost the surreal composition of this photo. By switching from a 2D graphic experience to a 3D view with true depth, a dialog between the viewer and the image starts as it questions the way we see the world.
On the other hand the image alone is a metapher on the life itself, showing that even most solid looking environment is based on a fragile foundation. It's an allegory of the uncertainty of our times.
Sebastian Cramer
