What if the sun didn't rise: a photographic research creation on light, color and time
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This thesis presents the results of the research that led to the exhibition What if the Sun Didn't Rise, presented at the School of Art Gallery of the University of Manitoba from May 17 to June 21, 2024. Drawing on sociological research on the social acceleration of contemporary societies, my research-creation led me to reduce the photographic medium in such a way as to challenge current photographic norms in relation to the multiplication of images and the installation of images in a white cube, proposing a space of resonance fostered by slowing down and an unusual phenomenological engagement. The work seeks to revisit the landscape photography tradition by the use of cameraless techniques where the landscape creates the photograph, rather than is photographed. The work of art is in dialogue with the history of photography, but also with the history of painting with an esthetic that tends toward the concept of sublime, as it was experienced in romanticist paintings aesthetic (Friedrich, Turner) and abstract expressionism (Rothko).
What If the Sun Didn't Rise traces the evolution of the desire to slow down and deepen my relationship with the world. By simply using sheets of photosensitive paper layered with natural plant material and exposing them to sunlight and the elements for extended hours, I develop a long-form conversation with the environment in which I find myself. This process contrasts sharply with the rapid consumption and multiplication of digital imagery, advocating for a more contemplative, sustained engagement with our surroundings. In that mindset, I produced a durational video installation in which I present the brief hours of sunshine in my studio while it quietly transform the colours of a photosensitive paper laid over a photograph of the Winnipeg sky.
By addressing those questions and offering a space to slow down, this minimalistic exhibition seeks to offer viewers a potential of resonance, whether directly in relation to the work or in everyday moments, like the sight of a ray of sunshine.