Artist Statement: By Allan Hill
Artist Statement
By Allan Hill
The rewards of seeing an image created from a thought, a dream, or an event, and witnessing the manifestation of that thought into a world of lines, shapes, and exquisite textures is quite unlike any other form of reward. Through my early photography which was mostly black & white human character studies, I have attempted to show the effects of what happens when people, groups and races are marginalized, thereby being reduced to statistics without auras. I wanted to elevate the spiritual uniqueness of the individual above the context of their environment.
I love the visual look and feel of film. Each film stock eventually offers up its treasure trove of personality traits, however, not to the casual eye. I prefer old-school methods, with a hand out-stretched to meet the future of photography. I allow the moment to carry me to the next swell of imagery, and like the ocean, humanity reveals itself constantly, as the imagery ebbs and tides. I also enjoy the discipline of the darkroom, as it demands every skill and artistic sensibility of my art. I believe in getting as close to the original truth as possible, through exposure, development of the film, and printing of the images. I like the ability to control light and to form and mold it in a variety of ways. Molded light can reveal many small nuances.
My current work, influenced by artist Bill Viola’s “Heaven and Earth,” is growing out of a need to study the force created when we search for revenge through violence instead of peaceful measures during human crisis. My plans are to construct two viewing screens separated by four to five feet, with DVD projectors stationed on either side of the screens. The viewer stepping onto a large piece of rice paper enters the area between the two screens depicting images of violence on one screen and acts of peace on the opposite. Awash in the residue of the transmitted light of both projectors, the viewer naturally wants to view both looped presentations. Forced to make a decision about what screen to watch the participant steps into the installation, injuring the rice paper. By this action, the observer cements their relationship with the moment, and their decision. My future, unwritten, will contain studies in nature and travel photography, plus a return to the studio to apply theory to practice using large format and digital technologies in advertising and commercial photography.
