Above : Low level composite anaglyphs (x6) of cliff fall : 'Cornwall 01' binary composite : Red / blue glasses
About this exhibition :
This project continues my interest in creating artworks that investigate the ambiguities between sculptural presence and retinal interpretation. I have been pursuing the technique of 3D anaglyph photography for the past couple of years since I first saw the images, presented in this format, from the surface of Mars. This will be the first showing of this work outside the studio.
These anaglyphs have been created from photographs of skyscapes, geological formations and primitive life forms. They are taken from several locations including the south coast of England, islands off the south coast of France, sand quarries and the rockscapes of Cornwall. They instil an enhanced sense of theatre through ambiguous scale, 'closed' horizons and few familiar reference points.
The 3D effect projects the spatial characteristics of the images into an optical void behind the gallery walls. The places in the photographs are simultaneously both here and in a neurologically generated facsimile of their original location. The intention of the exhibition is to re-create the experience of moving within an alien landscape and yet, at the same time, one that is strangely familiar.
Red / Blue anaglyph creation :
The technique works by ascribing a separate colour filter to each eye of the viewer. By looking through the red / blue glasses, the brain is tricked into seeing an image that retains the original spatial information. The images in this exhibition were taken using a conventional SLR camera - two photos being taken of each subject with a small separation between each - and retain most of the colour information present.
On the computer, the two images are then processed into separate channels in Photoshop and recombined as a single image. There is an element of choice as to where the focal point of the spatial effect is located and this is largely determined by the content.
Above : 'Cornwall 01' binary composite : Red / blue glasses
Above : 'Isle of Wight 01' and 'Port Cros 01' composites
Above : Detail of 'Isle of Wight 01' composite
