Artist Statement

whispers is the continuation of an exploration of narrative and typology. It, as with previous work, looks at presence on a variety of levels by taking a forensic approach to the investigation of objects and their function.

Images are, for me, inherently loaded with stories. When I see a broken door or a crumpled piece of paper I interpret these further than objective observation. ‘Why’ and ‘how’ are impossible to ignore. Using limited information and my visceral responses I ‘fill’ in the gaps and create myths.

I am interested in what or who is not there, what I can’t quite see and the helplessness of not being able to ‘ground’ an image in a time line. I’ve also begun to look at how the isolation of objects heightens the sense of discovery.

What preconceptions do the viewer and I bring to the experience? How does scarcity, complexity and proximity in both content and composition inform this process?

If something moves the viewer or I is it something more than social conditioning? Is there an innate aspect involved? Is there a transference that occurs when darkness and danger are implied?

This engagement can be both frustrating and fascinating in that the language of typology can be corrupted when something is encountered out of context and without formal structure.

Without a suitable toolbox or dictionary with which to guide the experience, how do you interpret what you see? How do assumptions cloud intent?

We are often helpless when encountering that which is foreign to our visual vocabulary. The lack of an access point can be either a hindrance or a benefit for both viewer and artist. Ambiguity personalises the experience whilst tangible motifs can enrich the outcome. The balance is the search for the sublime.

‘Young has found means to recover the photograph from the tyranny of the image and its single received meaning. His works are themselves doors, invitations to enter and explore.’
– David Bromfield on drei (2006–08)

‘The images are filled with considered contradictions. Is it essentially what is not photographed that grounds the narrative in a surreal space animated by a sense of uncertainty, vulnerability and sometimes danger... These spaces and objects are not ambiguous in themselves – it is ... our engagement with an action that is not defined that feeds our imagination.’
– Paola Anselmi on drei (2006–08)