Patience and stillness are strengths that are under rated in the world
of instant communication, information, titillation. We rush from experience to
experience dipping a glance at everything, failing to submerge ourselves into
anything and then blame our frustration and angst on the internet, mass
communication and social media.
Yet blaming the medium is to deny our own responsibility in choosing
whether to rush or to wait. Regardless of the technology of the world around us
the simple fact is that the old adage is as true now as ever it was: things
come to those who wait.
Taking a breath and being still is probably one of the most dynamic and
rewarding decisions an individual can do and this is very much reflected in the
digital art work of Nora Duggan. Her latest work Quad (2013) is a single channel video projection
examining the relationship between time and image.
Part of the work can aslo be seen online. One of the images begins simply
enough. We, the viewer, see the top of trees like black scratches against the
pre-dawn sky. The image is so still it could be a photo or a sketch. But wait
and watch… Slowly the sky lightens, there is movement. The subtlety and quietness
of this artwork obliges the viewer to pause and create a moment of space in
their live. It is also a work that evokes very different feelings from different viewers.
One of my friends found the image strange and slightly menacing, as if she were lying in a grave looking up
at the sky. For me, and I can only speak for myself, the experience of watching the piece was
akin to those moments in meditation when the mind is poised and still, and memories
and reflections from deeper in my psyche stir, and I have
to choose to acknowledge them or let them drift gently away…
Nora’s work can be watched
in NUI G Art Gallery, The Quadrangle
When: OCT 18 – 26
Time: 12-4pm daily.
The Opening reception takes place on Friday, October 18th at
1pm. All welcome. Refreshments served.
View the image online at: http://vimeo.com/75013435
Related articles on
stillness and strength you may enjoy:
Resilience and Wellbeing
Other Arts News:
Colours Theatre
co are staging the COLOURS COLLECTIVE in the BOI Theatre NUIG this Sunday
20th OCT from 4 to 6pm, for free.
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