Artist’s statement
November 2000

“The night has an unpredictable character – our eyes cannot see cumulatively as film can. So, what is being photographed is often physically impossible for us to see!”
Michael Kenna
 

The coast and sea has played a very important part in New Zealand’s human history. Maori and European arrived by sea, and the coast has been a source of livelihood ever since. Most New Zealanders still feel some connection with the coastal environment, and consequently, human presence is evident all along New Zealand’s shoreline. Sense of Space is an exploration of the coastal landscape of greater Wellington at night, examining ideas of space, human interaction with and affect upon the environment, and the ‘(sur)reality’ possible with photography.

1.Owhiro Bay, 28 September 2000, 1.20-2.05am
2.Lyall Bay, 15 September 2000, 2.47-2.52am
3.Seatoun, 14 October 2000, 12.00-12.08am
4.Breaker Bay, 14 October 2000, 1.20-1.28am
5.Owhiro Bay, 13 October 2000, 10.03-10.08pm
6.Palliser Bay, 16 September 2000, 9.05-9.35pm
7.Island Bay, 14 October 2000, 4.29-4.34am
8.Wainuiomata Coast, 5 October 2000, 10.50-11.25pm
9.Owhiro Bay, 11 October 2000, 11.30-11.37pm
10.Eastbourne, 28 September 2000, 11.45pm-12.15am

All prints are handprinted cibachrome prints.


Artists Statement for “Right Here Right Now”
January 2002

One of the things that intrigues me about photography is that it captures history, whether it’s intentional or not. Although history was never of much interest to me, I see photography and history as undoubtedly intertwined, and that is now being reflected in my work.

Sense of Space is an exploration of the Wellington coastal landscape, exploring ideas of space, and human interaction with and affect upon the environment. The work was completed in 2000 and consisted of ten pieces. Soon after completion, some of these sites changed – some to the extent that they almost don’t seem like the same place. Unintentionally I produced a series of historical photographs, purely by recording a place as it was at a specific time.

Generally speaking, photography is more or less instantaneous – give or take a fraction of a second. Night photography is anything but. With exposures of half an hour or more, one is, in reality, recording time. The images record more than the eye can see. They are “right now” … and then some.
 

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