Mikkel
Pedersbæk

My work often begins with something that makes me stop and look more closely: the structure of a seed head, a pattern left by evaporation, or the way a ceramic surface changes in the kiln. I am interested in how things become what they are—and in how much we can discover by paying attention to materials and the processes that shape them.

I work across photography, historical photographic processes, printmaking, ceramics and sculpture. Photography has shaped my way of seeing, from observing a plant in its surroundings to looking closely at details that might otherwise go unnoticed. My interest in flowers gradually led me towards their seed heads and seeds, and towards questions about structure, protection, growth and transformation. The closer I look, the more questions emerge.

For many years, I have explored historical photographic processes and digital negatives. I am drawn to the movement between a digital image and a physical object: the point at which an image becomes part of paper, a coating or a surface. With processes such as cyanotype, light and chemistry participate directly in making the image. The result depends on both the decisions I make and the behaviour of the materials.

This relationship between intention and chance runs through much of my work. In my toner washes, for example, patterns emerge as alcohol evaporates and deposits settle on a surface. I can vary the mixture and the conditions, but I cannot determine every detail. I find this compelling, both as a way of making images and as a question about perception. Why do we recognise landscapes, plants or familiar shapes in something that has formed by chance? How much of what we see comes from our desire to find order?

Today, ceramics and sculpture occupy a larger part of my practice. Working with clay gives these questions a physical dimension. Form, surface, chemistry and firing all contribute to what a work becomes. I am particularly interested in alternative firing techniques and in developing more sustainable ceramic processes. This involves practical experimentation and close attention to materials, resources and the conditions under which I work.

My interest in science and technology is closely connected to this approach. Research, testing and the development of materials and equipment are part of my artistic practice. I enjoy moving between understanding a process and discovering what it can make possible artistically.

Teaching and sharing knowledge are also important parts of my work. Through workshops and other forms of exchange, I share techniques and ways of exploring materials, while making room for others to arrive at their own discoveries.

Across these activities, craft remains central. I value the knowledge that develops through working with something over time: observing, adjusting, trying again and learning to recognise what matters. My practice grows through this ongoing exchange between looking, thinking and making—and through a willingness to follow an experiment somewhere I had not expected.