Lichtkammer is a Montréal-based photography duo comprising of German-born Nanne Springer and French-Canadian Frédéric Arthur Chabot. They spoke to me about their work, their collaborative practice, and a few things they love.
Quinna Hadley (QH): Who are you and where are you from?
Frédéric Arthur Chabot (F): I’m Frédéric. I was born in Montréal, grew up in the country, and then moved back to Montréal.
Nanne Springer (N): My name is Nanne. I am originally from Germany, but about ten years ago I moved to Canada, and now I also live in Montréal.
QH: What is Lichtkammer?
F/N: Because we both have the same focus in photography, share the same process, and consider a photograph something handheld and handmade, we started Lichtkammer together two years ago. We seek honesty, closeness, and a return to these things. Our work is a result of collaborating with each other, with others, and with nature. Lichtkammer is a home of sorts – it is where we collect and show our printed work. In our home we have a darkroom where light is the determining factor. We set up for six to eight hours a day in that corner, to gather on paper what we want to say in any given week. That is where the name Lichtkammer first made sense – translated from German it means the opposite of darkroom: it means a chamber of light.
QH: What does the word sagrada (sacred) mean to you?
F/N: It is that sacred space – of people, of moments. Not just ours, but a stepping into the sacred space of others. To be honest and trustworthy enough to enter these hidden landscapes, as well as letting others walk into ours: a ritual of exchange.
QH: What do you love most in this world?
F: Outside. The wind. The first.
N: My family. To be myself wherever I stretch.
QH: What is bringing you joy right now?
F: Right now, I would say words.
N: Right now, building boxes and sowing fiber.
QH: What did you want to be when you were a child?
F: A treasure hunter. (Nanne laughs and says: Well, you are.)
N: A blacksmith – wie mein Papa.
Lichtkammer (Insagram: @lichtkammer): Nanne Springer (@nanne.springer); Frédéric Arthur Chabot (@fredericarthurchabot). www.lichtkammer.com
