Abigail Reynolds
"I try to listen carefully to the qualities of the photographs both their structure and attitude to the subject, then I make cuts that are finely tuned to the particular qualities that interest me. It only really works, I think, if what I do builds on the formal qualities of what is already present. Otherwise, I am just in the way."
Abigail Reynolds is a British artist who is currently living in St Just, Cornwall. Her studio is located in Porthmeor in St Ives. Reynolds studied English Literature at St Catherine’s College Oxford University and later earned degrees at Chelsea College of Art and Design. She graduated from Goldsmiths University in 2002. In March 2016 she travelled and explored lost libraries along the Silk Road after she was awarded the BMW Art Journey prize at Art Basel. Hatie Cantz published her book “Lost Libraries” two years later. Reynolds was awarded a Paul Hamlyn Foundation award for visual art and her work was purchased by the Arts Council Collection. The British Art Show 9 selected her as one of 47 artists to tour across the UK during 2021 and 2022. Her work is currently displayed and owned by the Government Art Collection, Yale University Art Gallery, the New York Public Library and several private collections. Her work has been publicly displayed by numerous institutions, such as the Tate St Ives, Whitechapel Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery and The Harris Museum Preston.
Abigail Reynolds’ work explores the passing of time and how it affects buildings and scenery. She has said that she aims to create artwork that is “suspended in time.” Her work touches upon the relationship between the present and the past, and explores how age and time can alter a place’s identity. Reynolds starts with a newer image of a place as the ‘base’ of her artwork, and then finds much older images taken from a similar angle and with a similar scale. She then cuts and folds these images onto themselves carefully so that they create a new surface with both photographs being visible at the same time. She makes sure that one image is not prioritised over the other so that each moment in time is present and looked at by the audience.
Another concept that Reynolds explores are the differences between rural and urban scenery and how they differ. Similarly to how she folded pictures with her projects comparing the past and present, she takes images of rural places that have become overrun with urban scenery. Reynold's work links to the theme of identity by exploring other themes. Themes such as the past and present, and rural and urban are concepts that can alter identity, and can be used to define a character or place. Reynolds explores how these concepts differ and how they have changed a location.
This is one of Reynolds' pieces where she took an outdated image of a place and folded it over with a newer one. The image is all in focus, and it looks as though natural lighting was used to photograph the image as the shadows are very soft. The most prominent lines in this artwork is where the paper was cut and folded, so the eye is drawn to where the image was transformed and the differences between the past and the present. The shapes in the image are mainly geometric, however the harsher lines of the buildings contrast with the smooth lines of the Statue of Liberty. The artwork seems as though it should be 2D because of the flat pictures used, however Reynolds creates a sense of depth by making the work seem 3D dimensional by working physically with the images. The image seems to be concentrated where the image was cut, and is contrasted with the negative space surrounding the buildings. The smooth texture of the artwork is disrupted by the paper folds that stick out. The older version of the image is in black and white, and it has a high contrast between the shadows and highlights. This is not as noticeable with the newer version of the image, however not as much is visible so it is hard to tell. There is contrast between the coloured image and the image in black and white, which reinforces the ideas of the past and present and two moments into one. The image of the buildings are quite centered, however this is unbalanced with the folded parts of the image leaning towards the right.
Experimenting with My Own Images
This photoshoot was for the purpose of collecting my own images to work with physically. Since Abigail Reynolds takes images and cuts into them using a scalpel, I will be doing this to with photographs I have taken myself. I decided to photograph plants and scenery from a park, experimenting with aperture and angle. I chose the images that were the most in focus, and that I saw myself using in the future, to edit. To the left are some edited pictures, where I adjusted the brightness, contrast and sometimes saturation so that the colours of any flowers were more vibrant. This photoshoot was fairly simple, since I was only collecting resources to work from, so I took pictures of any structures or shapes that I found interesting. I think that this photoshoot was successful because I took many photos of many different things, which will give me a lot of choice in the future. The images also came out good, as they were all in focus.
Printing and Using a Scalpel
For this project, I printed out my park pictures double sided, and then used a scalpel to cut triangles into the paper. To do this, I cut outwards from the centre of the triangle to its corners, which meant that when I folded these edges backwards they created a triangle shape. By moving the centre of the triangle around, I was able to make different triangles with different side lengths, which created some variation. For some of the pieces, using the same concept, I created different shapes such as quadrilaterals. I then placed another image or black paper underneath the piece I had cut into, and photographed it. I experimented a lot with aperture and angle in this photoshoot, since the pieces I photographed were not flat and had texture.
I think that this photoshoot was successful, because I managed to document the physical work I had done well. I took some full pictures of the piece to show the full final product, and also took some more experimental pictures that were more artistic. The camera I used also allowed the pictures to be very good quality, so the texture of the triangles was captured as well as the actual texture of the paper. To improve this photoshoot, I think that I could have experimented with lighting as well, to create different shadows and see how I could create contrast between highlights and shadows. Since I used natural lighting in this photoshoot, any shadows present are more diffused and softer, and I think that creating harsher shadows could have complimented the harsh edges of the cut triangles.
Next I will be editing my chosen images, and then moving on to a second project where I will experiment further with creating shapes out of paper.
Developments
To edit these, I adjusted the brightness, either making the image brighter if it was too dark previously, or vice versa. I then added more contrast, and then either lowered the saturation or made the colours more vibrant. Reducing the saturation of the images seemed to bring out the structure of the shapes in the paper, whereas increasing it brought more focus to colours of nature and the plants that had been printed out onto the paper. I thought that this was an interesting observation, since I could use colour to change the focus of the image.
I think that these edits are successful, since they all display my work in an artistic way. By this I mean by using angles and aperture to show a different perspective of a piece that would otherwise be just cutting and folding paper. Another successful aspect of these edits is that link directly to Reynolds' own work, since she does something very similar. I did not include the same concept of how time affects a place, like she explores in her art, however I used her techniques of cutting into paper to create shapes to create my own work. I would like to come back to this concept at some point in my project, however my next step will be to see how I can create various other shapes by folding paper, instead of cutting it.
Experimenting with Folding Paper
Setting up
To begin this project I took some card and cut it into equal sized squares. I then printed some old images that I had taken of rural settings on my phone, and glued them onto these squares. I then folded the squares along their sides of symmetry, to create what can be seen on the first image on the left, (except these squares are blank), and then folded it in a way so that it created an even smaller square. I brought the edges opposite each other together to do this, and it all folded naturally. Once I had made three of these, each with different images on them, I stuck the cards together by their corners (the left or right corners which is a square) to create a shape that could also fold in on itself. I then hung up this structure and photographed it.
Images that I used:
These are all images that I found on my phone when looking for original content to use. Although I didn't use all of them, I'm sure that I'll come back to them for future projects. I chose these images because they either were only nature, or had some man-made architecture. I wanted to have the same element of nature on its own, and then nature when it is inhabited, to reflect similar themes of Reynolds' work. These pictures were also all taken across Montenegro, which is personal to me as it is where one side of my family is from. This way any art that I create from these photos is also personal to me as the photographer, making it more unique, and not just any location.
Contact Sheets
Once I had the piece completed, I hung it up using sellotape and photographed it. Before that I took some simpler shots of it on a stool, and also against a white sheet of paper that I used as a background. I experimented with aperture and angle, and saw how I could include different elements of the room that I was in. This included using the windows and lights as a background. I also made sure that I adjusted the piece so that it looked different for different shots, and I sometimes used sellotape to stick the piece in a certain positions so that certain folds were more prominent. I used natural lighting for this photoshoot, as I think that it matched the images featured on the piece, which were all taken in summer under the sun. The diffused shadows of a natural light source matched the settings of the images. I did however, also use the artificial lighting of the room, however it was still diffused which gave the shadows the same effect.
Overall I think that this photoshoot was successful, as it has provided me with plenty of images that I can edit and develop. They are also a good source of inspiration for any later projects that I will do. The use of the camera was also successful, as I managed to take shots that were in focus and well lit. This is because I adjusted the shutter speed and ISO when I wanted to change the aperture so the images weren't too dark or light. I also like the different shapes that I could create just by folding paper. I could choose to hide certian parts of the image printed by photographing from different angles, or by folding the paper in a different way to create obscurity. I like how only certain parts of the images are visible at times, and how the white side of the piece folds in on itself to hide a scene of nature. I can see this idea of hiding something relating to the theme of identity. Since the locations are personal to me, I can choose to hide certain aspects of them as the artist to keep the location, a part of my identity, hidden from the audience.
To improve this photoshoot, I think that I could have actually tried to change the shape even more, thinking more carefully about what I kept hidden and what I decided to show to the camera. Despite this, the photoshoot was overall successful, so next I will be editing my images to see how I can further develop my ideas.
Developments
These are my initial edits from this photoshoot. The editing was quite simple, as I only adjusted the brightness and contrast, and sometimes saturation. I also cropped the images, thinking about composition and where I wanted the focus of the image to be. For some images, I made it so that the piece was completely centred in the middle, and for others I had it off-centred to change the balance slightly.
I think that these edits were successful because despite quite different to what Abigail Reynolds does physically, I have developed my ideas further, and kept ideas about urban and rural environments. I think that the industrial background (especially ceiling) of the room that I photographed my piece in is an interesting contrast with the rural images that the piece features. The modern lights and pipes that are just barely visible match with the white side of the piece, as that too has a modern look to it. With the context of the piece however, this modern look contrasts with the rural imagery on the other side of the paper. This is why if I were to display my work, I would have several of these images on show to slowly reveal the contents on the other side. I would see this as a reveal of identity through a hidden location. Another successful aspect of this photoshoot is the experimentation in angle and aperture. This creates a variety so that the only consistency is the piece itself, but in different shapes and forms each time.
Overall this photoshoot and these edits have been successful, and next I will be experimenting with double exposure to see how I can create different shapes from one that I have already created.
Double Exposure
To edit these, I duplicated the image onto itself, and either rotated it at an angle, or flipped it using the transformation tool. I then chose a blending option so that I could create a new structure.
I think that these edits are successful as I have managed to create new shapes that are recognisable from my previous work, however very different. I think that the most successful of these edits are those that still have noticeable aspects of nature, such as trees or the blue colours of the sea. This way I have retained what I was previously exploring. These edits are much more abstract since these structures cannot exist the same way in reality. They also mostly focus on two colours, white and blue, which I think is effective in creating contrast and also creating a clearer structure that's only complexity is in its shape. The less successful edits are those that do not have the visible rural imagery, or at least elements of this.
Next I will be highlighting successes.
Highlighting Successes
I think that these are my most successful edits from my most recent project. This is because in each image, there are rural elements that are visible on one side of the piece, which is then contrasted with the modern backgrounds and structure of the actual piece. I think that, like in Abigail Reynolds' work, there is a contrast in natural structures and man-made structures, however expressed differently to how Reynolds does in her work. I would like to continue exploring this theme.
Using a Projector
Contact Sheets
For this photoshoot, I remade the structure I had for my previous project, however this time it was blank with no images on either side. I also hung up some blank squares which I had folded in the same way but not stuck together, so I was projecting on several pieces. I projected my images onto the pieces using a projector in a dark room.
I think that this photoshoot was successful for several reasons. For example, since I was using a projector, there was only one source of light that was shining directly onto what I was photographing, so the lighting created much harsher shadows, which emphasised the harsh edges of the folded structure and its own shape. Another successful aspect of this photoshoot is that I managed to project recognisable forms onto the paper, such as trees, houses and the sea. I also experimented with bringing the images projected in
and out of focus using the projector, to see how I could experiment with focus not just by using aperture.
A less successful aspect of this photoshoot is that despite experimenting with angle, I experimented less with aperture. This is because I wanted to avoid having images over exposed if the f stop number was too low, meaning I did not take as many photos where only certain parts of the image were in focus. Despite this, I could still keep the certain aspects of the image hidden by using other methods, such as the focus of the projector and the camera angle. It also meant that I could have the entire image in focus, so the entirety of the structure was visible. At one point, I had my camera on a setting which meant that only the colour red was being photographed. I wanted to see how this would effect my images, however I found that since the colour red did not mean anything significant to this project, it would not make the images any more, or any les successful.
Next I will be editing these images, and then experimenting further with double and multiple exposure.
Developments
There were many edits for this photoshoot, as I had originally taken many photos, and also I had a consistent aperture and (mainly) consistent shutter-speed which meant that there were less images that were too dark or too light, meaning I had more images that were successful to edit. To edit these images, I adjusted the brightness and contrast, and also sometimes used the healing spot tool to get rid of any tape (which I had used to hang up the piece) which was sometimes distracting as it was reflective and caught the light of the projector. I then cropped the image.
I think that these edits are successful because they mostly all have elements of nature visible. They also allow me to show all sides of the structure at different angles as the image was constantly being projected onto it, so the side that was being hidden in these images, unlike in my previous project, was the blank side. There were also a lot of edits, and all of them were different, giving me a lot of variation across the images where different structures were photographed. To improve, I think that I could have had more images where the projector was only slight out of focus, rather than all the way, as this would have provided me with more images where the focus was controlled by the artist, rather than the eye.
Next I will be developing these images further with multiple exposure.
Multiple Exposure
To edit these, I duplicated the image onto itself, and rotated the duplicated image or flipped it (or both) and chose a blending option. I did this several times for some images to create even more layers and a more complicated shape. For some images, I created a new, empty layer, and then used the paintbrush tool to colour over the image (I used the soft edged paintbrush tool) and blended it into the already existing layers so that it appeared that the whole image was different colours.
These edits were successful because I further the developed the shapes into new forms that were even more complicated. Some of these structures are less defined and take up the whole image, which adds to the idea of creating abstract forms from an already abstract form. Despite this, the majority of the edits do not have much rural imagery visible, which I think takes away from the themes that I have been exploring earlier, making some of the edits less successful. This is why I think these edits are not something that I would like to particularly focus on, and instead I will continue to bring this rural imagery with modern shape. Next I will be highlighting successes.
Highlighting Successes
These are what I consider to be my most successful edits from both the initial edits and the multiple exposure edits. These show the best experimentation with angle, and also the various shapes that I captured. There are also rural elements visible in most of them, which I think is one of the more important aspects. These edits also feature the colour blur (mostly), which I think is important in associating the images with nature's features such as the sea and sky.
Bringing Ideas Together for AO4
This project was slightly different from the previous ones. To make the piece for this one, I began in a similar way, however I used bigger pieces of paper on which my images had already been printed onto, double sided. I cut three pieces of card into equal squares again (but bigger), and folded them in the same way as previously. However this time instead of gluing them together right away, I wanted to include the technique I had used at the very beginning of my work with Abigail Reynolds, which involved cutting triangles into the paper. This would bring me into a full circle in including the ideas I had previously experimented with. To do this, I cut two triangles into each corner square that I had made, and they were all equal sizes. I left one corner free on each of the three pieces so that I could glue them together, and after I had done that, I hung the piece up using tape. I did not have any lights on during this photoshoot, and only used the light coming in from the window. The natural lighting that was
shining from only one direction also meant that I had diffused shadows facing only one direction. I took images from different angles and with different apertures. Since I had images printed on both sides it meant that I captured a different image each time at a different angle. The folded cuts into the paper also meant that the other side of the image was sometimes revealed through these gaps.
I think that this photoshoot was successful because I brought all my ideas together into a final project. This included the natural/diffused lighting that I had started out with, the process of cutting triangles into my own images, folding paper into different structures, and exploring the idea of the contrast of nature and man-made architecture. This photoshoot is successful because many of the images were in focus, and the lighting was also good in the sense that everything is well lit and not too dark. Also, the fact that I took images from many different angles also meant that each picture shows a new shape each time. To improve this photoshoot, I think that I could have taken even more images so that I have more images to work from. Despite this, the photoshoot was successful, so next I will be editing these images.
Developments
These are the edited images to this photoshoot. To edit these, I adjusted the brightness and contrast, and also the saturation at times.
I think what made this project successful is the irony of the piece itself. It is something that I made by hand, so it is man-made, and I created it by folding and cutting into card. This piece of card which itself originated from trees, a symbol of nature, depicts images of nature and a rural environment, such as the sea and trees. The piece is also in a room which has quite an industrial, modern looking setting, with metal pipes and concrete ceilings and walls. This contrast is a theme that I have explored in my own work, and something that Reynolds has explored as well. Furthermore, since these locations that are depicted are ones that I know and are personal to me, this project once again links back to the theme of 'Identity,' as I have created a structure which creates obscurity so that the location is not established to the audience, making it personal to me as the artist. Another successful aspect of these edits is the variation in lighting. By taking images from different angles I could change the direction of lighting in each shot. For example, by photographing the piece directly in front of the lighting, the camera captured the light and made the piece in front appear darker, creating a greater contrast between the darker and lighter tones. The less successful aspect of this photoshoot is that since the photoshoot was smaller, there was less content to edit.
Next I will be editing these images and some unedited images into black and white, as I'm curious to see how the lack of colour will change the images. Also, when editing the images from the photoshoot, I found that some of them did not work in colour, and this was mainly due to there being too many colours already in the image so I did not include them in these developments, however I think that they would work better in black and white.
Black and White
To edit these, I first used the black and white filter option of photoshoot, adjusted some of the colour levels so that certain areas of the image was darker or lighter, and then adjusted the contrast and brightness afterwards.
I think that the lack of colour in these edits offers a new perspective to the project. It allows for more focus on the actual structure and shape of the piece, and enforces the idea of industrial architecture and forms. The lack of colour also takes away the life associated with nature, as the noticeable blue that made the sea and sky tones are no longer there. This leaves the rural imagery without colour, which feels unnatural. The images being in black and white also create a greater contrast, and emphasises where the shadows and highlights are. I think that these edits are also successful, so I will be using them in the final presentation of this project.
Next I will be highlighting successes from both the coloured and black and white edits.
Highlighting Successes
These are what I consider to be my most successful edit from this project so far. I think they best demonstrate how I have experimented with aperture, as well as angle. They also show the most interesting structures and shapes, that combine both ideas of cutting paper and folding paper. The lighting is also varied across these edits, so there are a different amount of mid-tones, shadows and highlights in each edit. I like how there is visible imagery of a rural environment in these edits as well, so these edits continue ideas and themes that I have developed throughout my work with Abigail Reynolds. These edits also link directly to her work, as I have used the same technique of cutting triangles into paper, and a similar concept of the contrast between rural and urban environments.
Presenting my Work
Above is how I'd imagine I'd have this work presented. I would have the middle image in the centre and the biggest, because I think that that image is the best introduction to the project. The image shows a paper structure that has been folded and cut into, and it focuses on an area of the image where there appears to be something that resembles dirt or mud, giving it texture. On its own, the project would seem obscure, however by looking at the images surrounding, context would be given, and the audience would be given a better view of what the piece actually. I chose these images because I think they are the most creative, in terms of angle, depth of field and lighting, and they also together give perspective to what is being photographed.
If I were to have this work viewed publicly, I would not have any sound playing. This is because I think having sound would draw attention away from the artwork, which I want to remain the only focus when entering the gallery room. I would not have any coloured lighting, because this would change the hues of the images, however having the room slightly dimly lit could be effective in drawing attention to the pieces which would be illuminated with light above or below the pictures. Another way I could have this work presented is by having the room with almost no light at all, and with the only source of light coming from the images themselves. By this I mean that I would have something like a light box beneath the pictures so that they seem to glow. I think that this would also be effective in drawing attention.
I think that this my work with Abigail Reynolds has been successful, as it has led me to develop work that is inspired by her work, however very different. By choosing these images, I have kept the ideas of the contrast of nature and man-made structures, which I have explored successfully previously. I have also kept the idea of 'identity' by creating obscurity in the location that is featured in the pictures. Again, as I have explored previously, these locations are known to me only, creating a personal experience for me as the artist, and a sense of mystery and unknown for the audience. I think that overall this project has been successful in bringing together all the ideas that I have developed during my work inspired by Reynolds. Below is a better view of the images that I chose for this presentation.
