Thomas Albdorf is 28 years old and not yet out of the woods.

MOSSLESS: What inspired your recent sculptures?
THOMAS ALBDORF: About one year ago I wasn’t pleased with my current photography, I had the feeling that most of my works lacked something that I couldn’t specify. So I started my “Objects”-series, where I placed simple geometric shapes like circles, cubes and rectangles in places that are usually abandoned or associated with secluded romanticism. Those simple objects are supposed to work as acts of interference that create a moment of disturbance, uncanny yet absurd. I had this idea when I discovered John Baldessari’s method of appropriating found photographs via sticking simple dots on the faces of people in photos – I simply transferred this method to the actual place where the photograph is being taken in order to disorganize it.
In my current “Sculptures”-series I try to evolve this method by building sculptures out of objects found on-site or by using soft, foldable materials, mainly due to two reasons: firstly, they are easier to carry around when I hike, for example, in the woods, searching for a good spot to install them, and secondly I like the fact that those soft materials I use (mainly painted foils) are constantly moved by the slightest wind when installed, but work as fixed structures in my photos.
The sculptures / interventions only exist for a very short amount of time and are removed / deconstructed after taking the photo, but they are “frozen” in time due to the act of photography. Also I am able to stage the sculptures in a unique way which wouldn’t be possible if they were exhibited in a gallery or museum (not to mention that they wouldn’t interfere with their surroundings in the way they do in, for example, the woods).

ML: Tell us a little about your upbringing.
TA: I was born in a very small village with approximately 500 inhabitants, surrounded by woods and farms; I moved to Vienna only 3 years ago. The fact that I grew up in a very rural environment, often confronted with isolation and loneliness, is still somehow visible in my works – at least that’s what I often hear from other people.

ML: What have you been reading lately?
TA: I’m currently reading Franz Kafka’s “Das Schloß” (The Castle), and I also started re-reading Franz Lebert’s “Der Feuerkreis” (Circle of Fire) – I love authors who create worlds that are rooted in reality, but constantly shift into surrealistic, insane situations.

ML: Your favourite guilty pleasure?
TA: I keep looking for new photographic equipment that I honestly don’t need and can’t afford, but I’m addicted to vintage cameras – currently I dream of purchasing a Pentax 67, although my Mamiya C 330 that I take most of my photos with works flawlessly. There are other guilty pleasures as well, but none I would mention in an interview ;)