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  www.terryflaxton.com
Picture
O/P 3

Images of High Resolution Portraiture

Images of High Resolution Portraiture is one of a number of outputs from Flaxton’s AHRC Creative Research Fellowship (2007 – 2010): ‘High Definition Imaging: An Investigation in the Actual, the Virtual and the Hyper Real’. As a part of a scaffolded investigation, the artefacts in Output 3 included an increase of resolution of 16 times over Output 1, and then the proposition of increasing engagement by including humans as subject matter.

Within O/P 3 there are 13 supporting artefacts (6 main direct portraiture and 7 subsidiary exploratory artefacts including the Heritage Lottery project ‘Portraits of the Working People of Somerset’ and also ‘Portraits of the Arrow Tower, Beijing’), 15 exhibitions, 1 book chapter, 1 peer reviewed article (ISEA 2013), 4 conference papers and 2 invited talks to research communities.

The artefacts contained within this output have exhibited in Italy, America, China and Switzerland to 15000+ people and investigated the relationship between increased resolution and audience engagement with high resolution portraiture.

The scaffolded development in knowledge between Outputs 1, 2, and then 3, though confirming that increased resolution produces longer engagement times, asked whether offering the human as subject would increase engagement – and if so, would the placement of the subjects gaze from intra-diegetic to extra-diegetic then promote further engagement from the audience? This enquiry was driven by developments within other disciplines: mirror neuron theories from Cognitive Neuroscience evoked imperatives of empathy and concern and the Biological Sciences argued perhaps the opposite ‘imperative of the predators cue gaze’ (humans are watchful of the behaviour of their own and other species – therefore further engaged).

The Article ‘The Future of the Moving Image’ initially a conference paper, then rewritten as an online article and peer-reviewed for publication speaks of impelling trans-disciplinary work with regard the development of these issues within the moving image.

O/P 3: Images of High Resolution Portraiture

ARTEFACTS

The following Artefacts were created to explore my core research question (see enclosed Research Framework document) and all were intended to have a physical presence in their staging, not only as with Output 2 to distinguish this work from standard cinematic display forms to interrogate forms of audience engagement, but additionally to heighten engagement. In this case the method chosen was through life size representation of human form in a resolution high enough to withstand audience scrutiny. The intention was yet again to further engagement by further deepening suspension of disbelief. The apogee of this form was 60 foot triptych presented at the cumulative exhibition held in collaboration with Universities of Bristol and Westminster, where subjects from 6 projects from as far afield as Italy and America, China and the UK were represented in some 200 subject representations.


·       Portraits of Glastonbury Tor, High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st, Somerset Rural Life Museum), 2008. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/TORPORTRAITS.htm

·       Ritratti di Cannaregio (Portraits of Cannaregio), High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, Venice), 2008. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/cannaregio.htm

·       Portraits of the Somerset Carnivals, High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, Somerset), 2009. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/carnivalembed.htm

·       ‘Portraits of the Centenary, University of Bristol’, High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, Arnolfini, Bristol), 2009. http://www.bristol.ac.uk/centenary/look/art/portraits-film.html

·       Portraits of Spitalfields, London, High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, London), 2010. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/sixscreen.htm

·       Portraits of the Arrow Tower, Beijing, High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, London), 2010. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/sixscreen.htm

·       Portraits of the Flat Iron Building, New York, High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, London), 2010. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/sixscreen.htm

·       Self Portrait in the Digital Domain, Low to High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, Salisbury), 2010. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/history0.htm

·       Three Moving Image Works of Extended Portraiture, High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, London), 2010. Following on to: A Moving Portrait of the Poet, Elizabeth Beech, 2010, A Moving Portrait of the Artist, Charlotte Humpston, 2010, A Moving Portrait of the Window Cleaner, Alfred Glasspole 2020 http://www.visualfields.co.uk/alfglasspole.htm

·       Until I'm Gone, an examination of abstracted digital Self Portraiture, High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, Salisbury), 2010. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/PRINTS.htm .

·       Portraits of the Working People of Somerset, High Resolution Digital Installation, Various (1st Exhibition, Somerset), 2012. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/

EXHIBITIONS

·       2010 International Exhibitions (France, USA, Japan), Museum of Modern Art Strasbourg, Yokohama Creativity City Center, New York Center, Millennium Magazine http://www.visualfields.co.uk/history0.htm

·       2010 One Person Show of research works from AHRC Fellowship, Salisbury Arts Center, 01/10/10-31/10/08, 2010. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/P3exhibition.m4v

·       2010 Time and Resolution: Experiments with High Resolution Imaging, P3 Gallery, London (University of Westminster), 07/12/10-21/12/10.

·       http://www.visualfields.co.uk/P3exhibition.m4v

·       2009 Imaginists - 2 small exhibitions of work from Venice, Gallery 204, Bristol, The Phoenix Arts Center Glastonbury, 2009. http://www.visualfields.co.uk/imaginiststalking.htm

·       2009 Screening of Research work, Bergen Elektronisk Kunst Senter, Norway http://www.visualfields.co.uk/history0.htm

·       2009 Two Italian Exhibitions: Rome Film Festival and Milan InVideo Festival, Rome & Milan http://www.visualfields.co.uk/blinkart1.html

·       2008 A series of 4 HD installations over four days, Wickham Theatre, 22/09/08-26/09/08 http://www.visualfields.co.uk/NE57.htm

·       2008, A series of 4 HD installations over three days, 18/09/08-20/09/08 http://www.visualfields.co.uk/history0.htm

·       2008  In Re Ansel Adams, Gallery 204, Bristol, 26/09/08-27/09/08 http://www.visualfields.co.uk/history0.htm

·       2008 Ritratti di Cannaregio (Portraits of Cannaregio) & Un Tempo Una Volta (Once Upon a Time), Scarabocchio Studio Grafico, Cannaregio, Ponte degli Ormensini, Venice, 12/09/08 http://www.visualfields.co.uk/NEPortraitsCannaregio.htm

AUDIENCES

In total over 15,000 people have engaged worldwide with this work during its lifetime. ‘Portraits of the Working People of Somerset’ was exhibited for 6 months at the end of 2011 and beginning of 2011 and was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund after examples of previous portraiture works were shown to them. Other artefacts from this PARP have been exhibited in Italy, UK, China and Switzerland to 15000+ people and investigated the relationship between moving-image resolution and audience engagement in relation to high resolution portraiture. Also, at the end of 2012, a 70 minute documentary was produced and continues to be exhibited at various locations, called, ‘To Stand and Stare: An English Landscape’. This collated the effects of iconic landscape on audience engagement in Output 2 and portraiture from Output 3. This has lead to further developments and partnerships within Higher Dynamic range research with University of Bristol.

BOOK CHAPTER

The effect of the creation and exhibition of the artefacts was discussed in the following book chapter:

·       ‘HD Aesthetics and True Digital Cinematography’, Book Chapter for ‘Digital Light’, 8100 words, Editors: Sean Cubitt, Daniel Palmer, Nathaniel Tkacz and Les Walkling (eds), Digital Light, Sydney: fibreculture/Open Humanities Press, 2013 http://www.visualfields.co.uk/DigitalLight.pdf

ARTICLE

·      ‘The Future of the Moving Image’

International Symposium of the Electronic Image, Sydney 2013. Initially a conference paper, then an online peer-reviewed article. http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/9655

CONFERENCES

·      ‘The Future of the Moving Image’

International Symposium of the Electronic Image, Sydney 2013.

·      ‘High Definition Imaging: the Paradox of Creativity within the Academy’

Postdigital Encounters, creativity and improvisation. Watershed Media Center, Journal of Media Practice Symposium. (published on conference website and at Academia.edu) 2011 http://www.academia.edu/694011/High_Definition_Imaging_The_Paradox_of_Creativity_Within_the_Academy

·      ‘Notes on the Developing Aesthetics of Digital Technology and its effects on Transmedial Disciplines’, University of Bristol, Technologies of Transmediality, (published online at Academia.edu) 2011 http://www.academia.edu/406187/Notes_on_the_developing_aesthetics_of_digital_technology_and_its_effects_on_transmedial_disciplines

·      ‘New Understandings of the Mimetic and Diegetic in the Creation of Art’, Xi’an Academy of Fine Art (published online at Academia.edu) 2010 http://www.academia.edu/259359/New_understanding_of_the_mimetic_and_the_diegetic_in_the_creation_of_art_Xian_Academy_of_FIne_Arts_July_2010

INVITED TALKS TO RESEARCH COMMUNITIES

·       2009 Milan University, Professor Sandra Lischi, Pisa University, [email protected]

·       2010 Westminster Univesity Research Away Day Presentation to CREAM Research Community