Three Moving Image Works of Extended Portraiture

‘Three Moving Image Works of Extended Portraiture’ was formulated to explore the core research question that was part of the original AHRC bid for my 2007 Creative Research Fellowship: ‘In what ways will High Resolution Imaging change the work produced in the convergence of art and visual technologies and consequently, our experience of that work?’ To answer this question I formulated the idea of ‘Quantum Resolution’ which proposed that audience immersion deepens with quantum as opposed to quantitative increases of resolution – that is the effects of deeper immersion would be felt with larger increases of resolution rather than incremental increases of resolution. Initially I formulated 3 practice as research portfolios as differing strategies to uncover the effects (if any) of increased resolution. These three were a) to examine everyday moving images of the world immediately around oneself, b) examine iconic moving images of the world and c) examine human portraiture and by way of this examine ideas around the human gaze. I argued that each work would be a building block in a developing argument to examine my hypothesis and that all of the works would be presented together in a major exhibition as the overall thesis – this occurred in December 2010 in collaboration with University of Westminster in their London P3 Gallery. ‘Three Moving Image Works of Extended Portraiture’ is the fifth work of the 3rd Portfolio which had as its base idea to investigate the re-presentation of the human portrait in front of an iconic object or landscape. The images were shot at 4k resolution (some 4 times the resolution of High Definition). This work was funded by an AHRC Practice and Applied award for £20,000. My proposition with the earlier portraits was to ask the portraitees to stand still for 1 minute as a reference to early photographic exposure times where holding still was an important part of photography and portraiture. This time I moved from a full size shot of the person to a waist to head shot which if shown on a 42 inch plasma would be life-sized. I asked each subject to sit for ten minutes in a still pose. I would then shoot three subjects and present all three on plasmas side by side. The 3 works were: ‘A Moving Portrait of the Poet Elisabeth Beech’, ‘A Moving Portrait of the Window Cleaner Alfred Glasspole’, and ‘A Moving Portrait of the Artist, Charlotte Humpston’. These were shown at the P3 exhibition in 2010 alongside 18 other works, 7 of which were in the portraiture series (the main portraiture project was a 60 foot triptych to echo the 3 plasma screens, with people represented from around the world).