Panorama 1 Heidelberg School Artists Trail 2007, Panorama 2 Heidelberg School Artists Trail 2007

Abstract

The history of the photographic image places it within a context of an accurate and authentic representation of a chosen scene. This position has been progressively challenged through an engagement with context and process – particularly digital. Painting, on the other hand, is seen to operate at the interpretive end of this spectrum and little work has been done to explore the potential of a critical convergence of these two seemingly disparate disciplines – a post-camera photography.

In the works Panorama 1 & 2 Heidelberg School Artists Trail, Gary Carsley investigates the traditionally painted panorama as an immersive image and the potential for digital works to reproduce the same immersive effect on the viewer. Panorama 1 & 2 endeavour to position immersive sensory spaces within the framework of existing architecture rather than requiring the development of new technologies or apparatus. Created as a social environment, the work is comprised of large photographic monoprints made from scanned timber adhesive foils that together create an image of a park. Carsley’s overtly fabricated images explore the way in which we construct our perception and representation of nature and the land.

The significance of the works Panorama 1 & 2 is attested by their inclusion in the solo exhibition Gary Carsley: Scenic Root, at the Art gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.