While the worlds of art and photography quibble over whether photography is an art, Martin Becka, a French photographer, has spent most of his life concentrating on using photographic techniques dating back to the 1850’s, transforming pictures into an art form that spans time and space. Originally Czechoslovakian, Becka moved to Paris in 1968 and once again revealed his style and methods in an exhibition entitled ‘Dubai Transmutations’ at The Empty Quarter Fine Art Photography Gallery.

The exhibition, supported by the Dubai International Financial Centre Lifestyle Group was groundbreaking in that it featured pictures of buildings of typical modern glitz and glamour transformed to look ancient, almost historic and timeless.

‘Dubai Transmutations’ is the perfect title for an exhibition with pictures of the Burj Dubai, Emirates Towers and the Burj Al Arab among others and made them look like ancient monument, almost like the pyramids standing alone with an eerie quality, described by some critics as a spiritual collision of the old with the new.

While he was in Dubai, Martin Becka used a large-format camera dating back to the 1850’s. To what extent did Becka’s experiences in Czechoslovakia influence the images is a question to be asked. Czechoslovakia during the 1950’s and 1960’s was under austere communist rule and the images of Dubai also reflect a form of austerity stripping them of their modern high tech glamour, also the absence of people in the pictures gives them an almost antique ancient quality.

The absence of humanity is not so much out of choice but rather due to this unique technique, Becka explains: “With this method, there is an exposure time of between 5 to 30 minutes and therefore it is difficult to get people to remain still for that long.”

According to Becka, his photographs transform cities into an almost archaeological state. It may be that Becka is not impressed by fast-paced modern cities as he explains: “I remove all agitations like noise, pollution, and the hustle and bustle of the city. I instill calm into the scenes and give the appearance and beauty of the monuments of antiquity”. He also argues that the fact that everyone carries a camera doesn’t mean they are photographers: “Just because one can write doesn’t make one a great writer and using the same principle, just because digital photography is everywhere doesn’t mean that one is a great photographer. A master of photography goes far beyond the simplicity of capturing an image.”

Becka defends his style of photography as an art form because for him it is a passion pushing him to spend long and laborious hours perfecting his technique. The photo shoot is a cumbersome process as has to carry around his Chamber Camera equipment that weighs over 80 kilograms. “I am fascinated with the idea of working with basic materials that I have chosen personally, and being able to preserve, master and understand fully what I am creating.”

Becka uses the development process to develop pictures invented in 1851 by Gustav Le Gray who used waxed paper negatives. These negatives can be preserved for a week — before this technique was discovered all negatives had to be developed minutes after exposure. The paper is sensitized a few hours before taking the picture, and dried before loading it into the camera chamber. The camera is then mounted, and the exposure made. “I had to adjust the technique somewhat because Dubai’s climate is too hot for these processes, so the negatives have to be developed, fixed and washed the same evening. As the process was adjusted due to the weather, I had to work up to 18 hours a day, and could only make four to five negatives per day. The positives were then taken in Paris upon my return, on salted paper lightly washed with albumin, which gives the slight gold effect. A glass plate is laid over the whole thing and exposed to light. The image is then washed and dried.”

Becka believes that it is sad that the younger generation does not have any idea of what existed before the arrival of digital cameras; many of them are surprised to learn that photography took so much effort, time and artistic flair, and that images were not digitally created and synthesized. “When I teach, I always teach traditional silver-based techniques and for many of my students, this is quite a discovery.” Why a European photographer familiar with working in centuries-old cities would turn his photographic lens to a newly sprung city like Dubai is a question asked by many.

“I met Elie Domit of The Empty Quarter and he asked me if I would be interested in photographing this city in the desert. For several years I have been pursuing a series on urban landscapes, and the idea to work with a city that has, in a decade or so, become one of the most exciting in the world was a challenge for me. I am grateful also to Princess Reem Al Faisal for lending her support and making it all possible.”

The exhibition, which began on Oct 20th and runs to Nov. 28th, will also exhibit the 1860’s camera that was used by Becka, as well as a short documentary on the whole printing process. The Empty Quarter Gallery is also selling for the first time the “Dubai Transmutations” book by Martin Becka. It is a limited edition printed with four tones and negatives printed on tracing paper and contains Becka’s photographs of Dubai.