Niyaz Huseynzade 
When we think of a temple, what comes to mind? For many people, temples evoke images of ancient ruins, hidden secrets, and far-off places. KVANT-1’s ‘Temple’ series celebrates the temple not as a place of worship but as a symbol of exploration and the unknown. This series features surreal landscapes and alien-like structures and is an ode to mystery and understanding.
It was born after KVANT-1 undertook a series of projects in arid locations, which taught the Norwegian studio about new landscapes and cultures. ‘The beauty of the locales completely caught us off guard; the textures, atmosphere, light quality, and diversity. This was like seeing the world for the first time all over again. There lay secret and wonder in every corner of our innocent minds,’ KVANT-1 shares.
‘The scene is set in a foreign country to everyone where the definition is intentionally vague,’ adds KVANT-1. ‘The temple is an interplay of apparent contradictions that builds upon the decline of absolutes. Dark transforms into a light, the stone becomes flesh, barrenness becomes endowed with life, groundedness acquires buoyancy, and solidity loses weight. The unknown is one of the most fertile sources of creativity. As a result of the restrictions, we began to explore new territory in order to escape them.’
All images by KVANT-1
