We are honored and absolutely thrilled to announce that the guest illustrator for the Ocotober issue of r.kv.r.y. will be the fabulous Matthew Chase-Daniel. I’ve admired his work ever since I was first introduced to his photo-assemblages in an issue of Orion (one of my very favorite magazines). These are gorgeous, landscape-and-nature-themed pieces that embrace the cubist notion of seeing many things all at once. But I’m probably mangling the explanation of his intent. Here are a few sample pieces and a better description in Matthew’s own words:
“However accurately photography has captured /images, it has not always represented the way in which we see. Seeing is a dynamic activity. A traditional photograph captures a brief moment in time and place. The camera is still, focused on one particular spot, the shutter opens and closes in a fraction of a second. How we see however is vastly different. We glance about. We focus on minutiae at our feet, than scan the horizon. We watch the play of shadows on the land as clouds blow by overhead. We walk down a beach or down a forest path, collect shells, watch flocks of birds fly on the wind, see waves gather momentum, crest, break and withdraw.
In my series of Photo-Assemblage I work to capture this elongated experience of seeing. I do not photograph only one moment in time, but rather a group of moments, selecting the most essential details of a place. Creating works of art this way draws on the traditions of photography, painting, and cinematography. Composition happens in two distinct phases. The collection of /images takes place in the field. This process might be completed quickly, or may take hours or days. I often return repeatedly to a certain place, waiting for a particular convergence of elements such as light, tides, or weather. Sometimes I move very little or not at all while collecting the elements. At other times, I may walk, climb trees or a ladder, wade into the ocean, or paddle across a bay. The second phase involves the arrangement of the photographs. This is a process of editing, of choosing the photographs that flow together to express the original experience of seeing a place through time.”
You can learn more about Matthew’s fine work at his website and view slideshows of his remarkable photo-assemblages.
Matthew is also involved in a fascinating mobile-art venture (an art gallery on wheels) based in the Sante Fe area: Axle Contemporary. Please check out his work and support a fellow artist!
