Circa 1931 is a collaborative piece created with artist                   and shown at the Threads galleries inaugural exhibition "Debut" at the Brewery Tap Gallery in Folkestone.

 

Whilst creating this piece we asked ourselves the following questions:

 

 

What this piece means to your practice

 

In our first collaborative project together we sought to expand our art practice by drawing upon the overlap and differences in our artistic backgrounds.

 

Bronson: The collaborative work we have embarked on has brought a much-needed sense of experimentation to my practice. It has allowed me to loosen the tight hold I have had on the conceptual elements I have felt devoted to in my work. As a result our collaboration with its back and forth exchange of ideas has inadvertently strengthened the conceptual aspects of my work, particularly in regards to my interest in bygone times.

 

 

 Marker: I usually work alone, so it has been fascinating process creating an artwork collaboratively. Working with Bethe Bronson has challenged and expanded my working methods, and through that process we have begun to uncover a number of concepts that bridge our art practices, in particular ideas encompassing our relationship to the passing of time.

 

 

A short description of where your practice is now/how has it led to this piece?

 

Bethe Bronson is a mixed media artist working extensively but not exclusively, with lens-based media. Her work references concepts frequently associated with photography such as presence, absence, and the course of time. She is particularly interested in the identity and representation of women and mothers throughout photographic history to present day.

 

Laura Marker is interested in the historical development of optical technologies in various time periods; past present and future. Throughout history optical devices such as microscopes, projectors, and cameras have been both embraced in the name of science and simultaneously perceived as devices of (mass population) control. These technologies are both associated with scientific observation and truth on the one hand, and trickery, fraud and illusion on the other. Previous work has taken the form of projected works, digital photomontage and installations that integrate small elements of film.

 

 

During the collaborative process we sought to create works that merge Bronson’s interest in people of past generations with Marker’s interest in optical technologies.

 

We began to experiment with family snap shot images from the 1930's by way of projection. We arranged externally hung lenses, and glass objects, which manipulated the imagery. In this way, we were re-editing the images, honing in on and emphasising specific elements whilst choosing to ignore others.

 

The results of our efforts present disorienting yet compelling installations that transform our individual work and original intentions to something uncanny and enigmatic.