Mastering the Elements is a photographic research on the scientific exploration and conquest of nature from the beginnings of alchemy until the present day.

As history shows, scientific findings often have profound implications for society and the lives of individuals. On the other hand, the underlying research is not per se unbiased, but subject to its respective social and historical environment as well as to varying commercial and political interests. Consequently, ethical questions around the direction and objectives of modern-day research as well as boundaries for the deployment of scientific results should be part of a broader social discourse.

Jana Hartmann (DE) took her selectively framed photographs from scientific experiments, natural history exhibits, and nature itself. By juxtaposing them with excerpts from alchemical writings, scientific papers, and ethical viewpoints, she initiates an intriguing dialogue between multiple narrative perspectives – the visual artistic, the allegorical alchemistic, the philosophical and the scientific.