Journeys

An Exhibition of Photographs & Holograms by Pearl John

February 7th – 28th 2006
Gallery 286, London

From One to the Other 2005
28” x 44” Digital photograph

PRIVATE VIEWS took place on
Tuesday
Feb 7th 6.30-8.30 pm
Sunday
Feb 12th 12.00-3.00 pm

Inspired by an American Road trip to Mesa Verde National Park in South-west Colorado, Pearl John explores the theme of Journeys in her latest works. Combining holography digital photography and text, she investigates everyday emotional, physical and spiritual journeys – working at the boundary between words and images, artist and viewer.

In the lower level gallery, three Kiva ladders inlaid with holograms symbolize the journey – or transition -between the interior self and the world outside. The Kiva ladders were crafted as decorative items by Native American artisans. Original Kiva ladders were used in the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, which was home to Native Americans over 800 years ago. These dwellings were cut into vertical, overhanging canyon walls of a huge plateau. The dwellings included underground rooms – or Kivas – set aside for spiritual practice and accessed by ladders. The holograms inlaid in the exhibited ladders symbolize different stages of spiritual journeys.

On the gallery walls, more holograms explore other aspects of emotional, physical and spiritual journeys. Themes such as ‘Technology’, ‘Childlessness,’ ‘Childhood’ and ‘Shaman Journeys’ are represented by night-time digital photographs overlaid with holographic imagery.

In the ground floor gallery, the theme is ‘Communication’. The photographs document the wrapping of a male and female model – who are husband and wife – with a laser shinning through a telecommunications optical fibre. This work explores the journey of complex thoughts, feelings and ideas between two people, exchanged at the speed of light.

AWARE

COMMUNICATE 3

Digital photograph

COMMUNICATE 4

Digital photograph

COMMUNICATE 6

Digital photograph

COMMUNICATE 7

Digital photograph

Pearl John gratefully acknowledges the help and support of the following people: -

Jonathan Ross
Mick Smith
Sunil Patel
Keith & Stacey Wilcox
Dr Martin Richardson
Barbara Bassett
Sam Cantwell
Saul Martinez and the Tarahumara Native American Artisans of ‘Tarahumaraland’
The staff of the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton
Sebastian Gates
Michael & Judy John
Michelle Gravett
Carolyn Cummings
Claire Levers
Lloyd Davies

Comments and observations, from one of the many people who attended Pearl's opening reception, can be found here:

www.indianinengland.blogspot.com

Private View images
By Kaveh Bazargan