AMANDA MARCHAND – TRUE NORTH
2018-05-14True North is a recent body of work that explores the experience of light within the natural landscape. Made during a residency in rural Finland in January, 2015—the darkest time of the year, when the sun is closest to the horizon—these color photographs capture a state of mind more than the specifics of a place. Sprawling fields are blanketed with snow, obscuring the surroundings, while also allowing for small details to emerge from the frozen landscape. Responding to winter’s monotone palette, Marchand became acutely aware of the delicate play of light against the snow and sky, especially the “blue” period of day lasting one hour at dawn and twilight. Comprised of single prints and groupings of images, True North reflects meditative silence, the slow passage of time, and a heightened awareness of even the subtlest transitions in light and color.
Also known for her creative writing, Marchand’s photographic work and books of poetry often intertwine visual ideas with text. For this exhibition, Marchand has created a new artist book: The Book of Hours, as well as a site-specific installation that echoes the verbal rhythms of language. She mines the expressive in the natural world—shifting horizon lines, fleeting weather patterns, and the moments where vertical objects punctuate the quiet landscape—and presents them as pictorial sequences and visual sentences. With this series, Marchand asks the simple question “What happens when you pay attention?”
Opposite – Axis, 2018
Exhibition runs through to May 19th, 2018
Traywick Contemporary
895 Colusa Ave
Berkeley
94707 CA
