Band Forms Series (1953/54 and 57/58)
In preparation for the photo series Band Forms, transparent plastic film strips were provided with parallel aligned black lines in the longitudinal direction. The strips were then curved and twisted, and their two ends glued together, creating a closed band in each case. Due to their natural elasticity, the strips in this „closed“ form, when released, automatically assume the lowest-energy state. The resulting equilibrium shape can be described mathematically by continuous curves. Continuity was an appealing principle for Franke from the very beginning, but at the time–unlike symmetry–it received little attention in aesthetic research. These curves are visible in the course of the black lines and photographed against the background of a pane of frosted glass illuminated from below. In a second set of motifs, some of which were created even later–in 1957 and 1958–rubber bands were used instead of the transparent foil strips.
