AN unusual photography exhibition where the exhibits look more like abstract paintings has been winning praise for a photographer since it went on display last month.
With or Without a Camera is a two-part exhibition of photography at the Greenfield Gallery, in Newton Aycliffe. It brings together a series of “painting with light” and innovative works created during the Covid-19 pandemic by Spring Gardens-based photographer Elaine Vizor.
The first part of the exhibition – Black and Light – features pictures using long exposure times and the movement of lights at night. It is the culmination of ten years of work. Ms Vizor said: “I visited the Tate Modern in London ten years ago and saw these massive paintings, one in particular had red rivulets dripping down the canvas and I wondered if I could do that with photography.”
Since then, Ms Vizor has experimented with film and digital cameras using long exposures at night interjecting just the right amount of movement to capture the short-lived moments of the patterns and movements to create the abstract “light paintings”.
The second part of her exhibition, Blue and White, is the result of a 12-week coronavirus challenge Ms Vizor set herself to document the first lockdown using the oldest form of camera-less photography, Cyanotype.
The process, discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1842, uses chemicals and sunlight to produce images that are blue and white with varying hues and was used extensively to reproduce engineering plans during the 19th century. It was also used by botanist and photographer Anna Atkins to create volumes of botanical illustrations.
Ms Vizor added: “I had Cyanotype chemicals and resources to hand at home and as we were stuck at home used items, I could find such as corned beef tin openers, bits and pieces from my husband’s shed, and parts from our cooker when it gave up in week eight. The exhibition runs until October 27 from Monday to Thursday between 10am and 9pm and Friday 10am until 4pm.
