Aljaž Lavrič

“Look at the Engraving No. 446” is a photographic project in which the artist bases his work on a copper engraving by Janez Vajkard Valvasor from The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola (Slava Vojvodine Kranjske). The engraving referenced (No. 446) depicts the intermittent Cerknica Lake, marking the entrances and exits of caves, canals, and underground lakes. The artist interprets this engraving as a map, attempting to locate the marked entrances, canals, and caves based on textual descriptions. He documents all the indicated locations—each in its own way.

Valvasor’s copper engraving is not precise—the translation of graphic elements and lettering into real-world geography is imperfect. The engraving is illustrative rather than an accurate geographical representation of Lake Cerknica, so the artist interprets its inaccuracies in his own manner. When unable to document certain features around the lake, he recreates them in a studio setting.

In addition to photographs, the artist presents “water installations” constructed from pipes, wood, and darkroom equipment. Here, he treats the engraving as a blueprint for the installation, translating a sequence of signs into physical space. Just as water flows through caves and canals around Lake Cerknica, in the installation, it moves through funnels and photo paper developing trays.
The photographs are developed within the installation—the chemistry carving a 'riverbed' through which the image surfaces. Over the course of the exhibition, flowing water continues to transform the photograph, gradually dissolving the emulsion from the photo paper.