For several years now, my photographic approach has moved away from pure documentary or any attempt to represent the world in some realist form, to an enquiry based practice looking into the nature of perception and the photo. More broadly I focus on themes related to liminality, which as a topic has many applications in contemporary arts. In particular, in terms of my practice, I use the photo as a sort of questioning process to probe what is being looked at and the meaning derived therefrom. The liminal aspect of my practice involves putting the viewer into a threshold of perhaps not seeing one meaning, or an obvious meaning in the photo. The use of ambiguity and paradox form an important approach to my work.
I do not believe that the photo represents in some way, the basic reality of our senses as we perceive the world. Rather, I see it as a medium of investigation into perception, using symbols and metaphors that point to deeper truths about the nature, not only of photograph, but our perceived world. Therefore themes related to liminality such as paradox, ambiguity, impermanence, shifting meaning, uncertainty and the uncanniness of life all form a part of what I photograph in an ongoing attempt to challenge notions of fixity and logical understanding in relation to the meaning in a photo.
I work in digital format only and tend to print my own work. The materiality of the photo has taken an important place over the past couple of years as the experimentation with materials as part of the meaning behind the work seems relevant to any discussion about photography as a serious medium. I am a contemplative photographer, I work slowly and methodically on projects that intentionally cause me to think about what I am doing along the way.
In my practice there are ideas that sit behind each photo. Some of those ideas are derived from early eastern philosophy or religious traditions (especially buddhist thought) and some are based textually in anthropology and social and cultural critique. In general I work more through symbolism than literalism. I increasingly leave plenty of space around my series of photos for questions to be asked or simply to leave the viewer in a space of unknowing and even doubt about what is being looked at. This is all a part of an intentional strategy to stimulate reflexion about the nature of perceived phenomena- photographic or otherwise.