{"id":739,"date":"2007-11-06T18:00:10","date_gmt":"2007-11-06T18:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/?p=739"},"modified":"2018-01-25T14:54:51","modified_gmt":"2018-01-25T14:54:51","slug":"systems-of-nature-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/2007\/11\/06\/systems-of-nature-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Systems of Nature: Recent Installations by Chris Welsby"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SYSTEMS OF NATURE: RECENT INSTALLATIONS BY CHRIS WELSBY
\n6 November \u2013 13 December 2007
\nLondon Central Saint Martins College Lethaby Gallery
\n<\/b>
\nThe exhibition Systems of Nature<\/i> presents two recent installations by Chris Welsby, a British artist who uses moving image technology to explore the representation of nature, the passing of time and the forces of the weather in relation to the filming process.<\/p>\n

Welsby became known as one of the key figures of British artists\u2019 film through celebrated works such as River Yar<\/i> (1972, in collaboration with William Raban) and Seven Days<\/i> (1974). In his early films he applied techniques such as using the power of the wind to control camera movement (Wind Vane<\/i>, 1972) and to alter shutter speed (Anemometer<\/i>, 1974). More recently, digital technology has enabled Welsby to create increasingly complex installation work.<\/p>\n

In Lost Lake #2<\/i> (2005) an image of a lake is projected from above onto a raised surface. At times it appears as a motionless mirror image. As the surface of the lake becomes agitated, ripples move faster and the compression of the digital image pixellates the natural diffraction effect of the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cNature, as represented by the lake, is not seen to be separate from the technology that produces it. The viewer is invited to contemplate a model in which nature and technology are seen to be one and the same thing, inextricably bound together in a playful dance of colour and light.\u201d (Chris Welsby)<\/i><\/p>\n

Disruption of water\u2019s natural course is also at the core of the second work, At Sea <\/i>(2003), in which four large screens present an apparently naturalistic representation of a seascape. Sustained viewing reveals the image to be four different shots arranged to create a projected panorama. The immersive character of this installation evokes a real sense of looking out at sea, but also points to the perceptual limits we encounter when we try and \u2018see\u2019 the enormity of the ocean.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile half seen objects hover on the threshold of visibility, viewers are invited to consider their own role in the construction of a fiction, a seascape that only exists in the moment of the projection event.\u201d (Chris Welsby)<\/i><\/p>\n

On Thursday 8 November at 6pm, the history and practice of multi-screen projection in artists\u2019 film and video will be explored in a discussion between Chris Welsby and William Raban. The event will include a rare presentation of Raban and Welsby\u2019s twin-screen film River Yar<\/i> (1972).<\/p>\n

The exhibition is also complemented by Systems of Nature<\/i> screenings at BFI Southbank from 7-10 November, featuring Chris Welsby\u2019s films, an in-conversation event and two programmes of works by contemporary artists which explore similar concerns and techniques.<\/p>\n

Chris Welsby was born in Exeter in 1948 and has lived in Canada since 1989, where he is currently a Professor of Fine Art at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. Systems of Nature<\/i> is Welsby\u2019s first solo exhibition in Britain since 1995.<\/p>\n

The exhibition and related events are curated by Steven Ball, Mark Webber and Maxa Zoller for the British Artists\u2019 Film and Video Study Collection at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.<\/p>\nPROGRAMME NOTES<\/a>

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SYSTEMS OF NATURE: RECENT INSTALLATIONS BY CHRIS WELSBY<\/b>
\n6 November \u2013 13 December 2007
\nLondon Central Saint Martins College Lethaby Gallery<\/p>\n

LOST LAKE #2
\nChris Welsby, UK-Canada, 2005, video installation, colour, sound, loop
\n<\/b>The imagery comprises a series of eight, three-minute takes, all shot at the same oblique angle to the surface of a small alpine lake. The water surface fills the frame. A constantly changing pattern of ripples plays across the water surface, which reflects an inverted image of trees and rocks on the opposite shore. The eight three-minute takes, recorded over a period of several hours, depict the complex variations in the water surface as the breeze rises and falls. The image of the lake is projected, via a surface silvered mirror, onto a horizontal screen measuring approximately 10ft x 9ft and raised about 18 inches above the gallery floor. Seen from a distance, the surface of the water appears to be miraculously suspended in mid air. Close up, the raised screen gives the water the appearance of having depth. (Chris Welsby)<\/p>\n

AT SEA
\nChris Welsby, UK-Canada, 2003, 4 channel video installation, colour, sound, loop<\/b>
\nA number of video shots of the coast of British Columbia are projected side by side to form a single, continuous moving image. This image contains elements such as ships, buoys, floating driftwood, tree covered islets, sea birds, open ocean, and drifting fog banks. The dominant colour is grey; grey infused with a multitude of ocean blues and greens. The overall feel is somber and mysterious; a study of winter light falling on the surface of water and cloud; an evocative portrait of the Pacific North West. (Chris Welsby)<\/p>\n

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Alina Rudnitskaya\u2019s humanistic approach to documentary filmmaking often brings out the humour in her chosen subjects. As an introduction to her work, this programme depicts three diverse groups of contemporary Russian women.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[92,28,27],"class_list":["post-739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chris-welsby","tag-chris-welsby","tag-exhibition","tag-systems-of-nature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwebber.org.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}