Biography

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As the artist duo Arja Hop and Peter Svenson, we have been collaborating since 2015 on

analogue photographic research projects that aim to give a voice to nature, and in particular to

the plant world. Our long-term projects focus on capturing the colours of plants and their habitats,

while examining the factors that influence tonal qualities, chemical composition, and embedded

meaning.

Between 2015 and 2025, we developed a shared practice grounded in experimentation with

plants, colour, and analogue photographic techniques. We connected through a mutual

fascination with exploring these elements in their most fundamental form. Peter was inspired by

Arja’s meticulous photographic archive documenting plants and their colour properties. Together,

we developed a method in 2015 to capture plant-based colours.

We devised a system using a binder that does not alter or degrade pigments extracted directly

from plants. This allows us to evaluate these colours on multiple levels and ensures analogue

reproducibility in the form of our self-developed *Florachromes*.

Arja Hop (Hierden, 1968) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Sint-Joost in Breda and later

pursued studies in biology and philosophy, alongside various professional courses, including the

identification of historical photographic processes at Leiden University. Since 2013, she has been

researching plant-based colours specific to geographic regions.

Peter Svenson (Palmerston North, New Zealand, 1956 – Amsterdam, 2025) studied photographic

technology at Wellington Polytechnic and later physics at the University of Auckland before

relocating to the Netherlands. From 1982 to 2004, he worked as an analogue photo printer in

several Amsterdam laboratories. In 2005, he founded Aap-lab, where numerous renowned

photographers have had their work printed.

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