Lucian Wester - description

An attemption to describe my current exhibition and work. The combination of work show in the exhibition ‘JEK Bezet’ at the Krabbedans in Eindhoven is build out of four independent works. The work I will try to describe individually now:

Natural Gradients #1 (colour photograms) What: three colour photograms all 14cm high and 40cm wide. Each photogram has two colour gradients, pared complementary (red/cyan, green/magenta, blue/yellow), flowing in to each other from the sides. The two gradients on one paper are not in the exact same position, which result that for example there’s a stroke with a red gradient than a stroke of both red and cyan gradients flowing into each other and another stroke with cyan gradient.

How: the work where made in a colour darkroom with a colour projector set an angle of about 30° to the paper. Though this angle one side of the paper was situated closer to the light source than the other end of the paper. One physical property of light is that over a distance in space it will decrease in strength, which leaves on the photographic paper a gradient. To get two gradients the paper had to be exposed twice and in between reversed in place and the colour filtered light set to be complementary.

Why: with this work I wanted to see how abstract I could make a work and still reflect on the medium photography. The fact that the works are purely made of photographic material, colour paper and colour projector, and light makes them very true photographic but completely abstract at the same time. This is also one subject that interest me al lot; the both abstract and objectiveness (or indexallity) of the medium.

Next to Natural gradient #1 a presented a work, untiled. What: the work is a photograph of a view from a window; the window is half open and bright white. The rest of the view is out of focus but it is clearly a small city, there’s one large tree in the fore ground but around are only houses and other buildings. The sun is setting over the scene and cast a yellow/orange light over the buildings.

How: the photo was taken with a flash on top of the camera, which gives the window the bright white tint that it has.

Why: the brightness of the window creates a second frame within the picture and thus emphasizing the fact that a photograph has a frame. The fact that this work and the Natural gradients #1 are facing each other on the wall creates a connection between the two. Both images on their own ask questions about the abstractness or abstract part within photography and between them the question is almost literal; both made out of photographic material but at the same time very different. The notion of ‘blind sight’ describes the abstract part of photography quit beautiful.

Basalt What: six colour photographs of a basalt quay, every time the same subject but with different colours in the space between the rocks. The colours are: Red, Cyan, Green, Magenta, Blue and Yellow.

How: The photographs are created with two light sources that are both coloured, but always complimentary. The white light created by these two lights shines over the rocks, but due to the fact that both light sources are not in the same place coloured shadows appear in the spaces between the rocks.

Why: because the light was split up but trough the complementary colours put together again which leaves the coloured shadows that makes the photographs an unnatural look. In some the photographs the coloured shadow becomes lighter than the object itself, which gives the idea that the coloured shadow is painted into the photograph. I used the basalt not only for the fact that is has nice spaces between the rocks but also because it has by nature a nice geometrical form and is building material used to make dykes that can withstand storms. After the stones are laid they form together a strong grid.

Natural gradients #2 (coloured light) On exhibit in this exhibition only one pair: Green/Magenta. What: six coloured fluorescent tube lights paired complementary; Red/Cyan, Green/Magenta and Blue/Yellow. The pairs have about 20 centimetres between them and one hangs higher than the other. Also the wires are still visible.

How: the fluorescent tube lights are stripped of their light fixtures and screwed into the wall. Every tube has a different colour gel around him that creates the coloured light.

Why: I wanted to go a step beyond photography and make a work entirely based upon light. Also to see how this would speak or interact with the other more photo based work that I have made so far. In this work, I deliberately choose to let the technical construction, such as the wires, visible. This element is also present in the work ‘Natural gradients #1’ where some corners are consistently odd because the magnification window blocked the light. Elements like these expose the construction or the traces of the construction that are often hidden fore the viewer and are like the alterations that are left behind after the disassembling and reconstruction.