Andreas Frankie

Andreas Frankie creates very surrealistic photography on the sunken American naval ship “Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg” near the coast of Florida, for his series ‘The Vandenberg, Life Below the Surface’

He is most known for his commercial advertising route of global brands, but I find his more personal projects very sensational. This project “The Vandenberg: Life Below The Surface,” has completely transformed the shipwreck into an art space beneath the ocean.

In 1944, the U.S. Navy, a troop transport ship in World War II acquired USS General Harry Taylor. She was in the waters until 1961 before she was transferred to the U.S. Air Force, which for then she was converted to a missile ranges instrumentation ship, and renamed the USAFS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg. She retired form duty in 1983 with 40 years of service in a long life span. This phrase would usually mean death at a ship-breaking yard for most vessels.

After another 10 years, she was auctioned off and was sent to Key West but she had a more permanent solution, she was to be sunk and to be re converted into an artificial reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Since the sinking in 2009, this 522-foot long ship has become the second’s largest artificial reef. This ship has become a success by providing shelter and habitat for marine life and even marine scientists can gather material form the ships placement.

I mostly see the ship as having a hidden potential to his inspiring work. After finding out how much history this ship has from World War II, I feel that Franke has made her a star again, by bringing her to life once more by the fact that the shipwreck was once a dead object and has created so much life to it.

The way he has created these photographs feels like they are dream worlds or mystified scenes of either re creating the past or creating a fictional new world. I feel you can get lost and I feel that this can create a brand new and unexpected atmosphere.