| A short history of Chronophotography... | - At the end of the 19th century chronophotography techniques were used to attempt, unsuccessfully, to teach children who were deaf from birth to speak.
- At around the same time, patients at psychological institutes that suffered from conditions that gave them erratic movements were filmed using chronophotography. Doctors then tried to match their movement to that of an animal to see which they thought had possessed them!
- The first time chronophotography was used in the mainstream for almost a century was in the 1999 movie, 'The Matrix', by the Wachowski brothers, to film the amazing shots of characters jumping and then being viewed from every angle!
|
From zoetropes to the Matrix, Q-Arts' new exhibition, Sequences, is a mind-bending fusion of weird and wonderful cinematic technology and a fascinating range of perspective from an international selection of artists. The theme is the examination of space and time through photography and cinema, leading to an often bizarre selection of work. Highlights... | "[chronophotography's] potential possibilities were ignored." | | Paul St George - exhibition curator |
One of the pieces most worth a look are Tim Macmillan's Jump, a work that uses the same camera effects as the movie, the Matrix, to show a figure in mid jump form every conceivable angle. You can actually see the amazing piece of equipment used; a huge circular ring with dozens of cameras lined up around the edge, all filming simultaneously. David Cramford's piece, a series of stop-motion photographs of people on subways around the world, is also thought-provoking and poignant examination of a snapshot of somebody's life. Part of the interactive section of the gallery is Andrea Polli's work; Fly's Eye. A camera films you as you wander around the gallery, then, at the very back of the room, projects a collage of different pictures of your journey around the gallery. Pia Jonsson's work, Tradar, is an innovative progression form ordinary film. A continuously moving quilt of images are simultaneously interwoven to represent the past, present and future. This ingenious media tells an eerie and sinister story with an added mystery and suspense that would have been lost in conventional cinema. Slightly creepy welcome... As you enter the gallery you are welcomed by the mysterious rasping breath of a hidden piece; 'Mutoscope' by Simon Lewandowski. This uses the idea of a mechanical flip-book, but one which displays the same image repeatedly. This particular piece gives you a sore throat just listening to the grating sound, and to a certain extent the inescapable hoarse croaking spoils the ambience of the gallery. Paul St George's vision...
 | | Q-Arts Gallery |
Paul St George, the curator of the new exhibition, which also contains one of his own works, was on holiday at the time I spoke to him, but I managed to ask him more about the exhibition. Paul is passionate about chronophotography, an art form that he feels has been neglected in favour of cinema over the past century, and that its "potential possibilities were ignored". He feels that the artistic world is now ready for a revival, thanks to "technology [that] can be used to bring chronophotography up to speed". To make the gallery more interactive, Paul has tried less conventional methods, such as the inclusion of the Japanese computer based DJ system that visitors can use. Paul's own work, 'Supermoment', is a study of darkness over than light, or rather the "lights when the main light goes off". These are lights such as those on burglar alarms, computers or any other electrical appliance. The work is a series of photos of a figure lit up solely by these various little lights, and the effect is mysteriously calming and mellow. The gallery is a fascinating observation of a forgotten form of cinema and art, and as it is only small, it is easy to visit quickly and with a relaxed attitude. So if you are in Derby and the stress of shopping is getting on top of you, chill out in the calming atmosphere of the Sequences exhibition on Queen Street, just off Irongate. Want to learn more...? Over the next few weeks Q-Arts are holding a number of displays based around the exhibition. These include talks from Paul St George on Thursday 15th September at 6pm and leading artist Tim Macmillan on Wednesday 28th September at 2pm. The Metro cinema is also showing a film, 'A Matter of Life and Death', by Tim Macmillan, throughout the week of the 10th October. | 
