This is a still taken from one of our greatly talented artists from the Open Gallery, Gemma Pardo.

Gemma generally works with the themes of time and transformations that occur in specific locations. These places change gradually or have an element within them that moves or changes, sometimes as a part of a natural cycle or due to human intervention. The viewer sees the reflections and consequences of man’s intervention. The images reflect the interaction with the environment and its changes, leaving the viewer to question of the consequences of these changes and influences on their identity and culture. In this piece, the viewer is forced to interpret the relationship between the water-cooling towers in the background and the towering weeds in the foreground; which aspect really communicates neglect and stagnation?

This piece is unlike her other video artworks, which tend to focus on water and the shore as the paradigm of movement within nature. Around the Shore is a collection recorded in a particular spot around the English Channel, the shore in Kent. One of her inspiration to go there was a 19th painting by called a Recollection of October 5th (1858) by William Dyce. It is a place that it has being in the past of family gathering to pick shells and fossils and more recently in history a space of exploitation and renewal. In the 60’s a coal power station was built. The building was converted into an oil burn station, which rose environmental concerns in the area. Later on in the 80’s, it transformed into an experimental wind turbine. At the present time is coming back to be a place for birds to nest and people to enjoy. It is a Nature reserve, which still has the resembling, and the dominant view of the chimney and cooling towers of a power station. What she was willing to capture is that transition moment where the nature is taking over and the other elements slowly died out to let pass a new begging’s.

She went there in various times of the year and captured long shot of the images is an attempt to reveal, “time-space” in its constant transformation, the cycles of tide and light, the place changing. In this format, the images encompasses “a video painting” open to encourage and promote the contemplation of the images. With out any impositions of narratives or meaning although she looks for inspire in the viewer new meanings from a familiar landscape.

Joe