Photography (MA)
Tom Medwell
So much time on our hands.
Hours spent watching the sun trace slow points of arc across the flock wallpaper,
shadows thrown by the plants standing guard by the window.
The sounds of the high-street drifting by, scooters and sirens, gulls and crows.
Time becomes this solid thing, a weight, a pressure.
Something to be held in two hands and put into place:
and so we build.
The works presented here form part of an overarching project, Temporary Structures In Time And Space. The project explores the ability of photography to capture extended moments in time, and in particular analogue photography, treating the negative itself as a sculptural object which can then be used to create prints. By stacking exposure upon exposure, I work in tiny increments of change, and each negative can take many hours of work to create. Precision is key: tiny imperfections can bloom into huge mistakes over many repetitions. The works exist as frozen animations, documents of action over time, impossible sculptures which fade and reappear, a reflection of endless moments past when time stood still.
Manifold 1, The Lesson — 2020, Giclée print, image size 85 x 73 cm, edition of 5 + 2AP
Manifold 2, Accession — 2020, Giclée print, image size 85 x 69 cm, edition of 5 + 2AP
Manifold 3, Assembly — 2020, Giclée print, image size 85 x 68 cm, edition of 5 + 2AP
All prints are available framed, please contact for details.
Zeitskulptur, first movement, Balance — 2020, Giclée print, image size 85 x 68 cm, edition of 5 + 2AP
Zeitskulptur, second movement, The Dancers — 2020, Giclée print, image size 85 x 68 cm, edition of 5 + 2AP
Zeitskulptur, third movement, Spiral — 2020, Giclée print, image size 85 x 68 cm, edition of 5 + 2AP
Zeitskulptur, fourth movement, Kalman filter — 2020, Giclée print, image size 85 x 68 cm, edition of 5 + 2AP
Zeitskulptur 45620c, Prelude — 2020, Giclée print, image size 45 x 36 cm, edition of 20 + 2AP
Delving deeper into the possibilities presented by a structure half-hidden and whose boundaries in time and place seemed blurred, the series also operates as an exploration of mathematics theory regarding the relationship between time and place. Research into an object’s shape and position (or indeed our own) from fuzzy data has been ongoing since we first looked up at the stars and found a few that might guide our way; more modern techniques such as GPS use complicated algorithms to provide precise results from the half-seen signals of our own stellar objects. The half-seen structures in my series reflect this research: while the borders might fade, an overall shape can still be gleaned, and the solid heart of each piece becomes clear.
All prints are available framed, please contact for details.