Bronx I, 1998

The edition Bronx I consists of two prints from Thomas Ruff’s stereo-photos series, an exploration of stereoscopic photography as a tool for heightened visual perception. The series reflects Ruff’s interest in how seeing is shaped not just by the eye, but by the brain’s processing of spatial information. By presenting two nearly identical aerial images of the Bronx, Ruff mimics the left and right-eye perspective that underpins 3D vision. When viewed through a stereoscopic device, the images merge into a single, immersive three-dimensional scene – transforming documentary urban photography into an almost physical experience of place. With this series, Ruff blurs the boundaries between image, perception, and presence.