Am I Seeing Things?

"I’m looking to rationalize the irrational."

Philippe Ramette

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In Philippe Ramette’s photograph, Rational Exploration of the Undersea: The Map, a man, dressed formally in a suit and tie, reads a map while standing at the bottom of the ocean.

That’s strange. The artist isn’t wearing diving gear or fighting against the current. In fact, he seems totally at ease in his illogical, underwater world.

What’s going on? How does he do it?

Philippe Ramette, "Rational Exploration of the Undersea: The Map", 2006. ©ADAGP 2016.
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Ramette never edits or retouches his photos, but he does have a few tricks up his sleeve. To keep from floating away with the fish, he hides small, circular weights in his sleeves and wraps more around his ankles. What happens when he needs to breathe? An amphibious assistant swims down with an oxygen tank.

Ramettte loves to play with the laws of physics above ground, too. In Balcony II (Hong-Kong), we see him hanging out on a platform that’s parallel to the water’s surface. Again, he uses special objects, what he calls "prostheses," to create the illusion that all is perfectly normal in his irrational scene.

Philippe Ramette, "Balcony II (Hong-Kong)", 2001. ©ADAGP 2016.
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Hanging right side up in an upside down world isn’t easy. Each of Ramette’s photographs requires extensive and careful planning. After he’s drawn up his idea, Ramette, who considers himself a sculptor, works with a team to bring his vision to life. Despite his efforts to anticipate every possibility, it’s impossible to be perfectly prepared. While shooting the Rational Exploration series, the artist almost lost his life!

Wherever he is, Ramette is often photographed in his trademark suit and tie. It’s a reference to the overly rational, everyday peson and a reminder that "absurd" is just a matter of perspective.