Imagined – Photographic Works by Brian Deignan
Cell Gallery
September 26 – October 7, 2018
Opening Reception September 27, 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
IMAGINED..
imagine (verb): to form or have a mental picture or idea of someone or something
past tense: imagined
Based on this simple definition it is clear that whatever/whoever or eyes “see”, with or without a camera lens, is more accurately “imagined” since each mental picture our brain processes is simultaneously altered by various other stimuli and randomly filtered through the billions of data bits already deposited therein. Evolutionarily, for survival purposes, this is essentially instantaneous, and any reflection is reserved for a later, safer time.
I have always been fascinated and amazed by the world around me and captivated by a sense of connection with both the people and things that comprise that world. This too, I suppose, is a form of imagining and one which drew me to photography in my “later, safer time”.
Initially I took a traditional approach, hoping to either “capture” or “depict” what I shot but once I overcame my luddite reluctance to the technology I discovered that shooting digital facilitated my attempts to “imaginize” my work. The transition to a digital SLR has proved the ideal bridge between the memories and impressions in my head and that world in front of me. I haven’t mastered the machine, but I have developed a trust in the symbiosis between the digital algorithms and my cerebral synapses.
My approach and my technique are quite basic: I minimally compensate for available light conditions, relying on the digital capture, then retrieve or suppress the resultant deficiencies or excesses in the raw files allowing great latitude in “enhancing” or distorting the final images
The works mounted in this exhibit have been taken over the past seven years and represent, I hope, both a progression and a consistency in my approach to my art.
When I picked up a camera I hoped to interpret the world around me. Now I realize my best work celebrates it.