Where places and things that should seem ordinary are mysteries seen.
Two photographic series inspired by nature by Phillip England and Mahn England: one taken from above Lake Eyre’s inland sea and another capturing the imprint of waves on the surface of seas everywhere.
Wave – 6 photographs by Phillip England
Life came from the sea. We came from water and are never very far from it. We are beguilled, compelled and sometimes terrified by it. At its surface, waves reveal to us the energy transmitted through this mysterious medium. Diffraction and reflection of light reveal to eye their infinitely varying form.
These works steal fleeting moments from this infinity of variation. Here, as in Eadweard Muybridge’s 19th Century photographic elucidation of the horse’s gallop, the camera reveals everyday minutiae, allowing us to dwell upon miraculous detail.
Kati Thanda – 10 photographs by Mahn England
Kati Thanda in the language of the Arabuna people means “the lake that formed after the kangaroo’s skin was laid on the ground”.
This series was photographed from the air over Lake Eyre in 2011.
In many ways the lake and its surrounds confront, confound and confuse one’s perception of landscape. These works seek to capture and present the spirit of a special place through abstraction and detail.
Seeing from above applies the first layer of abstraction: removed are the anchors of scale and perspective. Revealed are textures and colours.
The second layer of abstraction emanates from the subject itself: air, water and earth. Revealed are the strange places where these elements meet and react.
The third and last layer is imposed by the artist and the artist’s tools (the camera and post production): what was felt, captured and felt again as observer, participant and interpreter. Revealed is a connection with a special place.
EXHIBITION DATES:
Monday 1 – Saturday 13 February 2016
9:00am – 5:00pm weekdays / 10:00am – 4:00pm Saturdays
OFFICIAL OPENING:
Monday 1 February 2016 @ 5:00pm
Exhibition to be opened by Dr Peter Craig, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
Image Credits:
Phillip England. Standing wave (2013). Digital photograph. Archival inkjet print on Photorag.
Mahn England. Homophony (2011). Digital photograph. Archival inkjet print on Photorag.