Mastering the Elements is a photographic research project by Jana Hartmann on the scientific exploration and conquest of nature, from the beginnings of alchemy to the present day. The book juxtaposes Hartmann’s selectively framed photographs—taken from scientific experiments, natural history exhibits, and nature itself—with excerpts from alchemical writings, scientific papers, and ethical viewpoints, initiating a dialogue between visual, allegorical, philosophical, and scientific perspectives.

The premise is that scientific findings often have profound implications for society and individuals, while the underlying research is not unbiased but subject to its social and historical environment and to commercial and political interests. Ethical questions around the direction and objectives of modern research, and the boundaries for deploying its results, should therefore be part of broader social discourse.

Hartmann (DE) conceived and photographed the book and edited it with Nicolas Polli, who also designed it. Text editing and translations were by Jana Hartmann and Joachim Sell. The 272-page English edition measures 230 × 312 mm and is published as a classic hardcover with small booklets. It was supported by the Alfred Ehrhardt Foundation Berlin, Hessische Kulturstiftung Wiesbaden, and Kulturamt Frankfurt am Main.

The combination of photographs and selected texts asks readers to consider how different forms of knowledge describe the same world. Alchemy and contemporary science become points in a longer conversation about human ambition and responsibility. The book offers a photographic route into that conversation, giving its ethical questions a material form through the relationship between images, writing, and the smaller booklets.