In these prints Stella Whalley explores the formal and compositional elements of cinematography as well as visual characteristics of electronic data transfer that relates to photography, video and film.
Each print features two film stills extracted from their original cinematic context and reconfigured within a frame that echoes the proportions of a widescreen cinema format. By combining disparate film scenes into a single composition, Whalley establishes new spatial and temporal relationships between the images. Some of the stills retain subtitling from the exact moment the frame was captured, adding a further interpretive dimension to the work. The images are placed at angles to one another, creating the illusion of looking into a scene—much like peering into a darkened cinema theatre—blurring the boundary between observer and narrative.
The visual surface of the prints draws attention to the aesthetic distortions and textures that arise from electronic image transfer, including moiré patterns and other forms of digital interference. These qualities, far from being flaws, are embraced for their ability to evoke the mediated nature of the image. Printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 300gsm paper, the works maintain a high fidelity to both the photographic and rasterized elements, each stretching to 100cm in length to further amplify the cinematic impact.
