Mark Davies

Refracted Lightscapes is the exploration into the properties of light when projected through an image and falls on a glass surface submerged in water. This work aims to challenge the indexical nature of photography through the use of abstraction to create images purely for the visual consumption and aesthetics of the finished works. The images maintain some links to their origin when explored deeply and with an understanding of the process though these are distorted and are not intended to make a statement. Inspired by the Abstract Expressionist art movement of the mid-20th century ‘Refracted Lightscapes’ evolved from an idea of using light to produce landscape photography without the use of traditional landscape methods or locations. As the process transformed through play and practical application this shifted into the development of images that the viewer is encouraged to make their own assumptions based of their own emotional connection to the work. This emotional connection is aimed to be made without being guided by visual cues relying on the viewers own memory and experiences in life to draw their own conclusion about what they are viewing. The work drew inspiration from an Australian colour field and algorithmic photographer Paul Snell, who creates works that is devoid of all visual cues to the image believing that often work is more successful if it doesn’t lead the viewer too far into what they are seeing, this philosophy was suited to the work being created for this series. The final printing outcome for this work was a deliberate choice, originally intended to be projected the loss of resolution and lack of suitable surfaced to be projected onto would have degraded the work. Prints on this high gloss paper retain deep blacks with high contrast to the vibrant and energetic colours that flow through the image.  Deliberate sizing of the work allows for them to be viewed in sections as well as from a distance as a whole to take in the path of light from one end to the other.