Verge: About
The film produces certain relations between segments, between what the camera is aimed at and the way that 'image' is presented. The dialectic of the film is established in that space of tension between materialist flatness, grain, light, movement, and the supposed reality that is represented. Consequently a continual attempt to destroy the illusion is necessary.
- Peter Gidal, 'Theory & Definition of Structural / Materialist Film'
This work engages with the inherently material nature of analogue photography; with its relationship to moving imagery, time & representations of landscape. The project is based on a series of hand-processed reels of Super 8 film. It is presented as a series of sequential grids juxtaposed with singular frames & negative images.
Verge explores the paradoxical nature of time as it is represented photographically. Movement & duration are implied in these sequences, though the frames convey only stasis. As such, the work is suspended between movement & stillness; repetition & variation. Every frame exists as part of a sequence, yet displays unique granular artefacts & signs of wear.
The project draws on the motif of landscape & its ambiguous status as subject matter. It was shot along the north-west Irish coast in sparsely populated, marginal regions. The imagery itself is fragmentary & minimalist, void of romance or narrative implication. The work seeks to preserve a sense of indeterminacy & openness in its approach.
The work takes the form of a set of handmade artist books, a photographic slideshow, darkroom prints & a sound installation.
Making Verge
Photographic slideshow featuring stills from two road-trips - in 2018 & 2023 - shot while making of Verge. This series features around 60 additional images shot on 35mm, Instax & Polaroid.
Stills | Digitised 35mm + Polaroid Images | HD Slideshow 7 mins
This project has been supported by Arts Council Ireland