Between Seeing and Knowing

Digital macro photographs. 2013 - current.

I’m fascinated by the gap that abstraction creates between seeing and knowing, and people’s responses to this. Does our experience of beauty come from association - from our learned reactions of like and dislike - or from direct perception? Do we respond to an image because we think we know what it is, or is it possible to rest in uncertainty and appreciate the reality of an image without reaching instantly for labels and explanations? Is it possible that by tuning into this gap between seeing and knowing through art, it could have a ripple effect into other aspects of our lives - could we learn to be more present, mindful and accepting of what is, rather than instantly grasping or pushing away our experiences based on habitual responses…?

A series that raises more questions than it answers…