Cumulonimbus

Momentum Beleggings Aardklop – NWU Gallery – 24 September – 29 September 2024

Cumulonimbus

Medium (all): digital printed photography

This solo exhibition, Cumulonimbus, formed part of Momentum Aardklop visual arts showcase (2024) in the NWU Gallery, Potchefstroom where I was invited to participate. The body of work consists of a dual series (Cumulus – five works shown, and Sky[e]scape, which comprises 14 works) of digitally printed photographs that is based on photographs of clouds and other structures, taken by myself, and rendered as symmetrical reflections.

The appearance of the works is suggestive of Rorschach inkblot tests used for determining, among others, psychological well-being. Building on previous artworks based on symmetrical reflected photographs of clouds and other man-made structures, these inkblot-like images create spaces for contemplation and reflection. The cloud theme engages in conversation with the Aardklop festival theme of Silos, which refer to vessels used for the collection and storage of grain. This theme relates to the concept of ‘build-up’, in the case of my works, of moisture in cumulonimbus clouds that can lead to large storms.

In the series Cumulus, consisting of 12 framed digital prints (of which five were exhibited), the reflective land- and skyscapes,  with dramatic and sometimes, thunderous scenes, are meant to lure the viewer into a newly constructed fantasy storyworld (Pavel, 1986’s term) where the viewer participates imaginatively in meaning-making through experiencing the works. The selections of the images to manipulate were based on my own intuition and emotional experience of the scenes.

The series, Sky[e]scape, consisting of 14 framed (giclee) digital prints on archival paper, is thematically linked to spiritual wellness. It furthermore creates an opportunity to escape from reality into a lyrical fantasy world. These works are more experimental in terms of layering of different photographs and playing with layer effects in Adobe Photoshop.

My theoretical approach to these works is based on the notion of sacred spaces in narrative storyworlds. I aimed to create sanctified mind-spaces elements of the natural and man-made world are interwoven, inviting viewers to meditate on the intersection of reality and perception. Various scholars have explored the spiritual, religious, and mythological aspects of spaces to make sense of human existence on Earth (De Certeau 1966; Sheldrake 1995; Sheldrake 2000). The idea of sacred spaces hinges on the notion that a ‘sacred’ component exists in the people-place attachment and the celestial component of the emotional and spiritual connections to place. I refer to the process of creation and meaning making in sacralisation of spaces or setting. The result is a superimposition of different planes of man-made and natural realities that result in an array of patterns, colours and contrasts. The symmetrical reflective compositions focus the attention on the dichotomy between good and evil, life and death, heaven and earth, and other notions relating to considerations of the past, present and future. In a sense, a new fictional storyworld is created, neither suspended, nor grounded, but rather spiritual. This leaves different liminal planes for contemplation, encouraging viewers to navigate the complexities of existence with renewed insight and understanding.

The creative methodology constituted a practice-led research approach that focuses on the conceptualisation and making of the artwork and, subsequently, a reflection on the knowledge produced during the process of making. The first step involves the creative spark (as a function of pre-production), and the actual process of making (namely production) as well as a final reflection on the works in a more scholarly sense (constituting the phase of post-production) (Combrink & Marley 2009).

The solo exhibition is thus the result of the pre-production and production processes. Apart from writing up and reflecting on the exhibition for DHET creative output documentation, I also co-authored an article (with Louisemarié Combrink) on a previous body of work where I used similar iconographies and thematic points of departure (article accepted for publication in Image & Text at the time of writing). I also intend to write a further- article on the solo exhibition that can expand our knowledge of scholarly inquiry into the application of repeatable approaches towards practice-led research as evidenced in this show, particularly with reference to the practical exploration of devices such as symmetry and also difference and repetition (see Deleuze, 1968). Further exploration is possible into issues of the sacred and the liminal vis-à-vis playful suggestions of Rorschach-like imagery in digitally manipulated art.