8/6/2019 Patrick Dowling Artist Statement

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PatrickDowling

ArtistStatement

Ibelievetruthandtimeareinterwoveninourcosmicwebanditsbecauseofthis

beliefthatIdomywork.Butwhatistruth?Isitcorrectness?Isitrighteousness?Willfactsalonegiveustruth?Evenourkeenvisualperceptibilitymaydeceivetothe

pointofgivingusaconfusedreality.AsourspeciesprogressesthroughtimeI

wonderifwepauselongenoughtogiveittimethatis-itsproperdue.Itsmyhopethatifwecanslowtimedown,captureit,andlookatitinnewandunfetteredways

wemaycomeclosertothetruthofourexistence.

Mymediumistime-lapsephotographydeliveredashighdefinitionvideo.Ihave

chosenthisplatformbecauseitallowsmetoexperimentwithlight,shape,contrast,

shutterspeed,andframeinwaysthatothervisualmediumsdonot.Usingadigitalsingle-lensreflex(orDSLR)cameratoacquirelongsequencesofstillphotographs

andthenusingadigitalvideoeditingplatformtoexportthesequencesashigh

definitionvideooffersvividrevelationsfoundinnature,notavailabletothenaked

eye.Thevagariesandseeminglywhimsicalpatternsoflifearepresentedmore

clearlyusingthistechniquetocaptureandrevealtime,thushopefullygettingcloser

tothetruthofourexistence.

Arguably,MotherNatureisthemostunrelentingpatternmakerofallartists.My

workquestionsherrhythmicintervalsandtheinherentserialityoflifeitself.The

slowingdown,therepeatingofsubjectmatter,andthemagnifyingofdetailall

portraytheessenceofnaturerepeatingitself.Revealingthedetailedpassagesofgrowth,life,decay,anddeathnotonlyofferusanewglimpseatnature,butperhapsourhumannatureaswell.Isartpartlyacopingmechanismnotonlyforseekingthe

truth,buttheinevitablemomentwhenlifeceases,yettimecontinuesitsunyielding

marchwithoutus?Forme,inthisageofinstantinformationwhereweget

smartphonealertsthattheDowhasdropped600points,myworkservesasa

reflectivemomentwherewecanallowourselvestheopportunitytoquestionhowtruthandtimeareinterrelatedtoourexistence.