Retrospective Exposition: Stadtmuseum Schleswig and Städtische Galerie Iserlohn 2014 David Doubilet »Visual Dreams and Intense Curiosity«

Text: Rainer Danne, Iserlohn · Imaages © David Doubilet / Undersea Images, Inc. bout two thirds of our planet is covered by water. David Doubilet invites us to “imagine A this planet as a water planet, not as a land planet. The sea is the heart and soul of life. In this very, very empty, very, very dark universe only one celestial body is glowing blue”. – David Doubilet –

Oceans still remain a kind of terra incognita, we only know very little about them. For the past fifty years David Doubilet has made it his life´s mission to explore and document some of this fascinating and unique splend- our, revealing some of these hidden worlds. David has made it his personal challenge to create a visual voice for this breathtaking underwater universe in the ongo- ing race between discovery and destruction. The photo- grapher is particularly saddened by the devastating effects of climate change on the oceans.

The world´s leading pioneer of under-water-photogra- phy says about himself that he has spent more than half of his life in water. Like nobody else, David Doubilet has changed our perception of oceans with their variety of landscapes and diverse forms of life. His expeditions and documentaries have taken him around the world from the freezing, dark polar seas to the . In Steve McCurry and Jim Brandenburg. Presented as a addition to numerous photography collections and co-operation by both houses the exhibition is the first books, he has published about 70 articles for National large David Doubilet exhibition worldwide. Geographic many of them cover articles. His book „Water Light Time“, 2006, has turned out to become a stepping stone in .

Born in 1946 in , the photographer began his career discovering snorkelling during a summer camp. Early on he became captivated by the world of diving. His first camera was a Brownie Hawkeye, the first DETAILS pictures turned out rather mediocre. Since then David Doubilet has been experimenting in order to reach an Dates in 2014: unsurpassed mastery of dealing with the difficult light 2nd February to 27th April (Iserlohn) conditions and situations which are found in underwater and 16th May to 26th October (Schleswig) photography. He often includes the world above the sur- (Subject to change) face into his pictures. photographed against the blue sky surrounded by a swarm of barracuda; rays Contacts, Information and Portfolio: gently floating in the magic light of shallow water against Dr. Holger Rüdel DGPh a dramatic cloudy sky; or seals playing in a field of Stadtmuseum Schleswig seaweed not afraid of the camera performing their cho- Friedrichstraße 9–11 reography, have become established icons of this genre. 24837 Schleswig When Lemon sharks swim directly towards the photo- Telefon 04621 9368-0 grapher and the spectator you cannot help having a cer- Telefax 04621 9368-19, 9368-19 tain feeling of unease. David Doubilet considers danger [email protected] a calculated measure. His only fear is to miss an excepti- onal picture. The intimacy of his focus tells us all about www.stadtmuseum-schleswig.de his experience, love and passion which enable him to Rainer Danne DGPh capture his subject. Doubilet´s amazing photography Städtische Galerie Iserlohn witnesses a fragile world in transition. Theodor-Heuss-Ring 24 58636 Iserlohn In close cooperation with David Doubilet and his part- Telefon 02371 217-1970 u. -1972 ner Jennifer Hayes the exposition is arranged as a retro- spective. „Visual Dreams and Intense Curiosity“ shows Telefax 02371 217-4418 more than 100 photographs taken over five decades. [email protected] The Stadtmuseum Schleswig and the Städtische Galerie www.galerie-iserlohn.de Iserlohn are proud and pleased to be able to exclusively Images © David Doubilet / Undersea Images, Inc present another highly acclaimed photographer after their successful cooperation with the retrospectives of