Unstable Air, 2015 – Convergent :: (click to see more)
When people ask what I photograph, I usually launch into a long involved explanation – how what I’m doing evolved from who I am. But… judging from the glazed looks on peoples faces, that’s not working. So here goes another somewhat shorter attempt.
When I moved to Toronto I began looking for a new way to document the city. I decided to concentrate on the dynamism and movement symbolic of a city coupled with the underlying structure – the form and colours.
And that’s what I’m still doing, abstract expressionistic images of the city – movement, form and colour.
Propagating Mauve Waves, 2014 – Light Signatures :: (click to see more)
Today I’ve been wracking my brain for what the city means to me. I’m looking for a simple, non-romantic, honest explanation that reflects my intent. The city is a complicated place – at any time there is always much activity and movement. There is a different harmony occurring in a city – an interaction between natural elements like wind, rain, snow, sun and human elements like concrete, wire, brick and glass.
Contrast this with a forest or a lake. The interaction there, unlike the city, is between natural elements, organic components and the earth. The principal difference – in the city, the human elements are not self-sustaining. The city is a human construct – reliant on continued human intervention. From a long perspective the human constructed city is a form of dance.
Red Sine Wave Over Mauve, 2013 – Light Signatures :: (click to see more)
I’ve been writing the foreword to a book about my three bodies of photographs about the city and last week’s post really helped to clarify what I’m about. Up to now I’ve said slightly vacuous things like I’m interested in the emotion of living in the city. Which while true isn’t specific enough.
Looking at the city as an interaction between the inhabitants and the objects it comprises, makes much more sense. The emotional impact of that interaction – at least on a personal level, is just something that coincidentally results.
Writing the foreword I’ve decided on an overview of my evolution – an explanation of how I arrived at photographing the city the way I do. It seems I’m always explaining myself and in a way it feels like a justification for where I’m at. I’m beginning to feel like that’s enough deep inner gazing for now. It feels like I’ve more or less figured out what I’m about – which I’ve got to say is a relief. It’s been uncomfortable always feeling like I couldn’t explain the why of what I do.
It’s not like it’s necessary to explain the why – intuitive thinking is good and interesting, but I do tend to hop about rapidly from one thing to another and to others that kind of looks frenetic and random. It’s not random. And up until now I couldn’t really explain my decisions and actions well.
Last week’s explanation still isn’t perfect but it feels much better.
