surreally

I hate labels. They can be restrictive and confining. Pigeonholes. But they can be useful as stepping stones to new ways of working. Then they can be pitched.

I’ve never been a big fan of surrealism. Though the word simply comes from the French meaning ‘beyond realism’, to my mind most of the work done under this tag is just bizarre. I think the concept of ‘beyond realism’ is worth exploring though.

There’s a powerful underlying spirit and hard-edged reality to this desert. A separate reality (to steal from Castaneda). It’s not visible, and as powerful as straight, strictly realistic photos can be, they seldom capture it. At least mine don’t. I’m experimenting with double exposure and refraction to try to hint at it.

As reluctant as I am to use the term surrealism, I’m flirting with it. I’m trying to push through the limits of conventional reality and delve in to what’s beyond reality, at least beyond what’s accepted as reality, yet keeping it real without sliding over the edge into absurdity and ridiculousness. It can be like walking a tightrope. We’ll see if I’m up to it.