Prelude
2018 - 2020
(Work in Progress)
Prelude came to fruition during a complicative moment
looking at my hands in the sunlight and seeing the skewed shadows it cast on my
wall. I knew the light was fleeting so it felt imperative to photograph the
moment before it was gone. I posed the question if I photograph the entire
scene will I remember the feeling of looking and seeing? I took two photographs,
one of my hands shaped like a bird and another of the shadow it cast. As the
light past I knew photographing this experience of seeing something short lived
and the ephemeral feeling it created would not be possible in a singular frame.
Each
sequence is comprised of two to three photographs. The work adopts a visual structure
inspired by cinematic storyboards and their function to pre-visualize and develop
narratives. This structure allows the work to exist as both individual and
collective works. Through creating these sequences, I am reminded of the stop-motion
we experience in flip books. However, sequencing still images side by side
disrupts the illusion of movement and allows the viewer to interpret the liminality
between frames and consciously confront the familiarity in the pictured
gestures. I believe this method of sequencing gives context to "the
moment" that photographers look for while photographing.
This body of work became a way for me to start over and dissect how I view photography, time, motion, and the importance we place on a singular image. Through the production of this series, I am also able to reflect on where my photography practice began: in my bedroom photographing my existence.
This body of work became a way for me to start over and dissect how I view photography, time, motion, and the importance we place on a singular image. Through the production of this series, I am also able to reflect on where my photography practice began: in my bedroom photographing my existence.
© Michael Seleski, 2023