Solo Exhibition
Etched in Cascading Light 《流光再現》
Solo Exhibition at Arthome, 29 Jul - 13 Aug 2023, Arthome, Hong Kong
攝影是光的懸停，影像是意圖的重現。讓流光觸發再現剎那的渴望，回歸純粹影像的期許。
影像噪點的粉紫色調塗滿展場，如連綿的畫布環繞整個空間。透澈的《剖面》如帷幔在大門作序幕；《失真的視點》宛如一扇形狀奇特的視窗於牆角而生；四周伴隨著一群浮游天地的殘存影像 《流光》。
影像點狀顆粒構成的源頭是它對外來物的反應、外顯的雜訊。《流光再現》是為期48天捕光換影的暗房計劃，鄭氏將駐留空間轉化為暗箱和暗房，從空間的內外觀之，以感光化學乳劑顯影一系列銀鹽影像，重現以光書寫的靈光。「流光」指如水流般連續不斷的閃爍光彩，亦指如流水般逝去的時光。「再現」是展覽創作的重心— 專注攝影上與光的互動、於駐留空間的觀察，以及物料形態轉化的影像重現。
黑白與彩度、流動與平整、內裡與外在。
《流光再現》拋開影像語言結構與具象指涉物，進行零度攝影的實驗，解構影像本質組成的元件。感光銀鹽乳劑塗抹於紙基，影像在化學相互作用下徐徐顯影。乍看之下出現的影像大致相同，但仔細觀察其中的細噪、質地和紋理，便能發掘各自獨特的位置，呈現一種以符號為載體實現的溝通。
除了攝影史進程追求的高解像度、低失真率和銳利清晰而真實的影像外，影像的紋理、顆粒狀意象、瑕疵錯體，在整體人類書寫發展譜系中同樣舉足輕重。光石之間定影，微細塵埃從死亡中定格，膜拜也伴隨觀者與被攝物之間的凝視。空符號的觀看方式、主體的空缺，也開啟符號載體感知的維度。
Photography is light held in suspension, image a resurrection of intent. The cascade of light ignites a yearning to recapture the ephemeral, a return to the purity of the image.
A dusty mauve, reminiscent of image noise, saturates the exhibition space, enveloping the environment in a continuous canvas. Deposits and Dissect, a diaphanous veil, serves as a prologue at the entrance. Perspective of Distortion emerges from a corner like a uniquely shaped aperture, while a constellation of floating images, Etched in Cascading Light, populate the surrounding area.
The granular texture of the images originates from the material's reaction to external stimuli, manifesting as visual noise. Etched in Cascading Light is the culmination of a 48-day residency, a process of capturing and transforming light within a darkened chamber. Cheng transforms the exhibition space into both camera obscura and darkroom, observing the space from within and without. Using photosensitive emulsion, she develops a series of silver gelatin prints, inscribing ephemerality with light. "Cascading Light" alludes to the continuous, fluid shimmer of light and the passage of time. "Etched" emphasizes the exhibition’s core focus: the interplay of light and photography, observation of the site-specific space, and the material transformation inherent in the photographic process.
Monochrome and chroma, fluidity and flatness, interiority and exteriority converge within the works.
Etched in Cascading Light transcends representational imagery and the constructs of photographic language, engaging in a "zero degree" photographic experiment that deconstructs the essential components of the image. Photosensitive silver gelatin emulsion is applied to paper, the images slowly materialising through chemical interaction. While appearing similar at first glance, close observation reveals subtle nuances of noise, texture, and grain, each print a unique communication realised through the symbolic nature of the medium.
Beyond the pursuit of high resolution, low distortion, and sharp, clear verisimilitude that has characterized the history of photography, the texture, grain, and imperfections of the image hold equal significance within the broader lineage of human visual expression. Light fixes itself between crystals, minute dust motes frozen in time, bearing witness to the silent exchange between viewer and subject. This engagement with the empty signifier, the very absence of a fixed subject, unlocks a new dimension of perception where the symbolic medium transcends its materiality, a poignant echo of time and memory.
Exhibition Review: https://vocus.cc/article/64e2ebfbfd89780001907111
Deposits and Dissect 《剖面》
2023, printing on acrylic, 80x80cm
《剖面》以玻璃封存了兩種原本的顏色— 粉色和紫色，與《流光》相映，展現時間消逝的對照。在展場還有一個隱藏彩蛋：由於空間位於車輛掉頭的小路旁，夜晚展覽關閉時，掉頭車輛的大燈會映照展場內，使《剖面》玻璃上的影像如同放映器般放大，重現另一種「流光再現」。
"Deposits and Dissect" features two colors, pink and purple, enclosed in glass. It contrasts with another piece called "Etched in Cascading Light" highlighting the theme of time passing. There is a hidden gem in the exhibition: the space is located near a spot where cars turn around. When the headlights of those cars shine into the area, the images from 'Deposits and Dissect' fill the space, resembling a film being projected.
Etched in Cascading Light 《流光》
2023, gelatin silver paper, iron nails, life fragments, size variable
《剖面》、《流光》是鄭氏對駐留居住空間的觀察。鄭氏感覺自己居於一顆形狀奇特的牙齒中。牙齒能記錄一個人的所有經歷，鄭氏以此為靈感，運用無相機攝影技術（luminogram 和 photograms）創作了一系列日記式影像，拼湊成一組流水形態的影像作品。藥水如同顏料，通過影像顏色、酸鹼值、陰影，記錄當天的狀態和思緒。影像展示時，感光物質經歷退色，留下痕跡，宛如珊瑚白化。
"Deposits and Dissect" and "Etched in Cascading Light" are two artworks by Cheng that reflect her thoughts on the art residency spaces she lives in. She feels like she is inside a uniquely shaped tooth, symbolizing how a tooth can hold all of a person's memories and experiences. Using cameraless photography techniques – luminograms and photograms, Cheng created diary-like images that flow and change. She uses chemical solutions like paint to capture different moods and states of mind through colors and shadows. When displayed, these images fade over time, leaving behind marks that remind us of coral bleaching.
Perspective of Distortion 《失真的視點》
2023, gelatin silver paper, water-based paint, size variable
失真的視點》是一組黑白沖曬的針孔影像，記錄外在景觀。如同一扇坐落展場角落、形狀奇特的窗。旁晚時分，幾點光芒在天花板上如「流星」劃過，那正是緩緩駛過皇后大道中的車輛燈。這正是暗箱、原始相機的簡單原理——黑暗的暗箱透過小孔投影外界景象。鄭氏每天在相同位置捕捉影像，共進行十二次試驗。橫跨日夜，由物件變為點，再化為一條線，融匯成《失真的視點》。
"Perspective of Distortion" is a series of black-and-white pinhole images documenting the external landscapes. It is displayed in the corner of the exhibition space as a uniquely shaped window. "falling stars" streaked across the ceiling, created by vehicle headlights since the room is turned into a camera obscura and projects external scenes through a small aperture. Cheng captures images from the same location each day, conducting twelve experiments. Spanning between day and night, objects transform into points and lines, merging into "Perspective of Distortion"
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