I sit in the car contemplating what I could possibly do. I am reminded of the American photographer Todd Hido’s work taken through the car windscreen. The rain spots are thick and persistent so I take a few shots but then hit upon the idea of trying some short video films with my iPhone. As I look beyond the rain spots, the scene in front of me is dynamic and aspects of the scene emerge and withdraw depending on how the falling rain moves on the windscreen. It immediately sparks an idea in my mind that what I am looking at is Graham Harman’s world of Object-Oriented Ontology – a world where objects emerge and withdraw.
The effect of the rain on the scene is very relaxing – almost like a meditative experience as I watch the continuously changing shapes and patterns. The movement reminds me of the almost trance-like state I enter, and see through the viewfinder of my camera. I take thirty second videos and as I do so, I start to cue into the moments where I might have taken a still image to capture the emerging object. Objects capture my attention and then withdraw as quickly as they emerge. I see flashes and glimpses of the water behind the trees and the mountains drenched in low cloud and that which lies behind the sensory qualities of the object. Most people do not look long enough or hard enough to see these revelations – the rain forced me to do so this morning. For once, I am grateful for Skye weather . . .!
Would be interested in your thoughts . . .
