ART
Year 33
The Year 33 series comprises a couplet of experimental photographs representing Winter and Spring. The series explores the concept of change across time, inviting us to reflect on cycles such as endings and beginnings, loss and growth, rest and flourishing, but also what it is like to be suspended within the processes of change at each given moment. It combines photographic snapshots of single instances and melting nacre colours that represent the ever present forces of change and the evolutions we experience. This effect is achieved by exposing 35mm film to the elements of nature and then seeing what develops. No digital editing is used in this process.
Artist Statement
Influenced by surrealism and interested in abstraction, my practice employs experimental photography and mixed-media techniques primarily to self-reflect. Drawn to all things analogue, I combine film photography with alchemic processes to disrupt the development process and physically alter the resulting images. I also layer photographic images with other media to alter them post-development. Central to my process is working with the dual forces of intention and chaos. I deliberately affect chemical emulsions and apply media which cause unpredictable results. These include light leaks, texture, polychromatic colour, and amorphous shapes. I opt not to digitally edit, preferring a tactile approach, organic outcomes, and to embrace aberrations. This approach facilitates emergent meaning, allowing for symbols, patterns, and narratives to be interpreted post hoc by both myself as the artist and viewer. Themes I explore include personal experiences of emotion states, identity, bisexuality, perception (including synesthesia), and existentialism. I hope to evoke introspection and invite open-ended interpretation rather than prescriptive meaning.
