There is some kind of magic behind photographic processes. From the ability to choose an instant to the revelation of its final form, genuine magical events such as photography actually rely upon knowledge and understanding of our surroundings.
My Photons photographic series is about the dual use of light – about both the artistic and scientific approach.
On one hand, I, the viewer, chose to focus on particular moments where the light would arrange itself on different elements to produce a certain composition that caught my eye. On the other hand, light is naturally essential for my thoughts and actions to become real by being caught on sensitive film.
Arts focus on how to combine and use techniques and/or tool(s) at their best in order to show and embody thoughts and inspirations. It is about enhancing or creating techniques in order to, in general, communicate more efficiently ideas, concepts, political /social issues, etc. Sciences focus on the reason why an artistic technique would produce this result or how to produce a certain type of result through the study of natural elements (chemistry, physics, optics).
I honestly believe in the possibility of combining artistic and scientific matters. Using my personal experiences as an example, I possess two scientific degrees while having a strong interest in the arts; more precisely I am willing to pursue my career into social documentary photography. Although I am not going to choose a scientific career path, it truly influenced the way I think and brought me to pick photography as a main passion.
This Photons series is about repetition of patterns, Nietzsche’s “eternal recurrence”, into smaller or wider scales. Indeed, the way light lies and impacts upon an item is the same process that happens when impacting on a sensitive surface (here, film).
Moreover, there are many kind of lights and many ways of producing it. And it is through repetitions, mistakes and trials that technology rose, enabling us to study and use its properties. The Photons series is about the dual nature of light, behaving as both a wave and a particle.
Here again, like any topic, light's dual nature can be transposed into different aspects depending on the goal.
Overall, my photographic work is centered on moments of life that open up to others, to ideas and concepts. I am trying to be as objective as possible in order to interact with the viewer and allow her/him the freedom to stroll her/his eyes through the photograph and interpret it regarding her/his own experiences and opinions, or just to provoke a reaction.
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Lea Cyrielle is a freelance photographer currently based in Glasgow, Scotland. See more of her work on her website.