Cabot Tower Through the Circling Seasons

From the press release:

‘The work explores the landscape as a changing, animated scene, bringing life to familiar landmarks such as Cabot Tower, Queen Square and the Clifton Suspension Bridge.  Like Monet’s series paintings, they form individual studies of the kaleidoscopic effect of place over a period of time, revealing its capacity to evoke a myriad of emotive and even spiritual connections. Repeated looking is also part of our biology and reveals much about our physical connection to landscape. All of this interconnectedness offers ways to reinvigorate the window-world of photography, not least by bringing the aesthetic of cubism and impressionism into the frame.

‘Also accompanying the pieces in the exhibition are a selection of photographs from Sheona’s Bridge series. These simple, distilled shots of Clifton Suspension Bridge and the two Severn Bridges in different weathers bring a quiet, mystical element to the show, complementing the colourful collages.’

The Colour of Landscape is on until 2nd June – do go and visit. There’s a brilliance in the saturation and quality of prints-behind-acrylic, which links and sets off our work. From the press release:

“Sheona Beaumont and Walter Dirks present photographic work exploring the rich, colourful and diverse landscapes of our planet. Their images range from global habitats to details of flora and fauna, combining awe-inspiring visions of nature-at-large and nature-up-close.

“Images of landscapes are often held to be emotive and personally meaningful: memory, document, evocation of situation, expression, spirit, wonder are all levels of meaning given to photographs taken of particular places. In this exhibition, two photographers draw on both their local connections to Bristol and their experiences living and travelling abroad, to consider the photographed landscape as coloured with such meaning. Sheona Beaumont uses digital manipulation to create collaged or inverted scenes, often highlighting the spiritual dimension of our relation to our environment. Walter Dirks captures the beauty in simplicity, reflecting on an uncluttered way of seeing as much as on the subtle harmony of nature’s forms and colours. Together, they seek to re-enchant our looking and to celebrate the brilliance of the world around us.”

Genesis

Above is my piece Genesis, a 60 x 80cm 3D lenticular print. Lenticulars have two physical parts: the print, which is made by splicing a sequence of photographs together with extremely high accuracy; and the lens, which is a ridged acrylic or perspex sheet sealed to the front of the print. The ridges on the lens are designed to refract the light at slightly different angles (compared to normal reflection on a flat surface), which, depending on the interlaced images, can create animation effects, flips, or the illusion of 3 dimensions. Genesis, as a 3D image, looks like it has depth – but you have to see it in the flesh. My photo of it above doesn’t show this because a camera only has one eye. With stereoscopic vision, each of our own eyes sees a slightly different view, and the lenticular print recreates this when you stand in front of it.

For this picture, I set up a still-life by arranging butterfly wings in gel in a fish tank. I had several trial-and-errors with gelatin and other carrageenans (thank you biology-loving husband) – I didn’t want bubbles, but I needed to be able to move the wings around, so the set had to be just right. I lit the scene at night, and then shot over 90 images from slightly different angles around a central point. I’d never done this before, and my heart was in my mouth that evening. But, almost despite me, and definitely bigger than me, something special came together. The piece is about the opening verses in Genesis, about the Spirit of God hovering over the waters, about the fragility of a wingbeat becoming the whirlwind of creation, and about the butterfly as a symbol of new life.

Also on show is my piece The New Passage. This time, it’s an animation sequence of 14 shots showing half-hour intervals of the tide’s progression up the Severn Estuary. You have to walk past the piece to see the change, which reveals the pronounced difference between high and low tide – the second-highest in the world in fact. From this point on the Estuary, after which the piece is named, the Wesley brothers first set out to Wales & Ireland in the 18th century. It’s about walking through water to see massive physical and spiritual change – like the exodus through the Red Sea.

Big heaps of thanks to Ulf-Mark Pedersen and Jake Purches at Base2 Studio. One inspired the challenge, the other made it happen…

The New Passage

Did She Jump or Was She Pushed?

Lomo cameras embrace the amateur handling of picture-taking, when you can’t operate with precision – the viewfinders can be as low-tech as a mini rectangular pop-up frame positioned on top of the camera. I often use mine without knowing what exactly I’m pointing at – to be honest, there’s not much point trying. Here, I’m in the picture at the far right, which was mostly accidental, though it does highlight the impossibility of my jumping in the pool – there’s no edge near enough.

Credit should be given to my friend Helen Madden, who took the photo in Kenya, Nairobi, 2010. We were waiting for the Iceland volcano to blow over, and found time to get some swimming in. Thank you Helen for your canny eye – the photo’s yours after the show if you want it! Below are my two other entries: Adam in the same pool, and daughter Amelie at home in Bristol, both with my Fisheye Lomo…

Stop Poking Me in the Eye

Foot Flare

The Four Elements

Elemental is an exhibition of photography and photo-based installations exploring the imagery of the elements, as seen through Christian spirituality and biblical symbolism. Both cafe walls (Dennis Anthony) and church space (myself) will be transformed to bring contemplative and conceptual encounter to life.

The elements earth, fire, wind and water were once considered the building blocks of all matter by ancient philosophers and scientists. Today, it is their symbolic capacity which captures the imagination, not least through the multiple lenses of faith, which offer a deep and colourful reflection on the human experience. In this exhibition, two photographers draw on their own Christian backgrounds and their love of nature to consider how we might look at the elements in a more mystical way.

Sheona Beaumont’s work includes a film, two lenticular prints, a multiple-photo collage and four large abstract canvasses (seen above). Her photographs are digitally-manipulated to produce a range of stunning effects, from the impression of space in a 3-dimensional print to the illusion of movement in an animated print of the Severn Estuary’s tide. Each piece has a sensory impact, and the accompanying text challenges the viewer to link their experience to specifically biblical concepts.

Dennis Anthony’s photographs are windows on moments of stillness in the busy café. Here you’ll find both large-scale celebrations of the brilliance of the world around us, and closer-to-home views to re-enchant our looking at a basic level. With nature as his inspiration, Dennis draws out the effect of the elements on his own personal journey of faith, and offers the results for contemplation.

This exhibition features as part of the Bristol Festival of Photography: a biennial event in May where a host of art institutions and photographers join in on exhibitions, talks and other events celebrating Bristol’s photography scene. Sheona will also be exhibiting at Colston Hall’s Glass Room and St George’s Crypt Gallery – see the festival website for details, www.bfop.org