Evidence
2022 Artist Statement - Still Images
This project is an exploration of how man leaves traces and evidence of our existence that will outlive our presence on this planet. This exploration shows how a man-made product, that we use and discard at will entwines and impregnates itself in the natural world.
By using the aesthetic style of formalist artists, concentrating on form and composition, and topological study inspired by the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher. I am gathering and representing the evidence of this environmental impact and showing the traces and marks we will leave behind. This is to enable any viewer to review this evidence and make informed judgements and opinions.
By using plastic waste as a metaphor for all the marks and traces we leave my goal is to stimulate a debate about how we interact with the planet we are custodians of..
2022 Artist Statement - Video
The moving Image – The moving image project represents the of the things we leave behind and the traces that will not go away in timescales that we can perceive. It is used to portray the sense of time passing and the “plastic” is a representation of all the things we leave behind.
Drawing on the “tension between movement and stasis” with the almost still imagery I am hoping that, as in what Raymond Bellour calls the “Pensive Spectator” the viewer will add ideas to the image. I am showing that the moving image that barely moves expresses time and this timescale represents the degradation of the plastic as a metaphor for all the visible traces we leave behind. To further enhance this metaphor the slowed down soundtrack re-enforces these themes.
By encouraging the viewer to stop and pause whilst engaging in the “long look” my goal is to encourage thought about the environment and what we are doing to it.
© Copyright Nigel Fovargue 2023. All rights reserved.