Wolfsburg - Volkswagen has turned to an avant-garde marketing campaign to introduce an avant-garde car, by using a blind photographer to shoot its new Arteon.
Blind American photographer Pete Eckert was commissioned to create arty images of the fastback sedan, which is due to be launched in South Africa in the second half of next year and is one of the most interesting designs from Volkswagen in recent years. Unveiled at this year's Geneva motor show in March, it is the successor to the Volkswagen CC.
The ten extraordinary images and a making-of clip can be viewed here.
"The new Arteon represents expressive, avant-garde design. Pete Eckert has presented this design in a unique way," says Xavier Chardon, Head of Marketing of the Volkswagen brand.
"The images he has created are genuine works of art and have a very special atmosphere that only he can create. We have found Pete to be an impressive personality and would like to thank him for the fantastic cooperation."
Eckert visualizes the image he wants to create in his mind and uses his senses of sound, touch, and memory to make a photograph. Shooting the new Arteon was his first automotive project. In preparation for the photos, he obtained detailed information on the special features and characteristics of the new car. On the set, he gained sensory impressions of the car by feeling and tapping in order to develop as precise an impression of the new car as possible.
With the aid of an assistant, he then produced his photographs, known as "light paintings". Eckert took the photographs with an analogue camera in complete darkness, using long exposure times and double exposures. This way, he produced dynamic effects by moving different light sources.
Eckert, from California, lost his sight when he was an adult as a result of an illness. His works have been widely published and honoured by a number of awards. One of his motifs appeared on a United Nations postage stamp. He says about himself: "I am a visual person. I just can't see. You don't need eyes to see beauty."