#05 Valency : Participants : Jan Jarosz

I had explored the Valency/Affinities theme applying different methods and starting points.

In this piece I attempted to reference some of the resultant imagery in an improvisatory manner. As in life accident and chance play determining roles. The ‘four glass squares with wax droplet’ occurred accidentally whilst preparing the surface for some other purpose. It had the effect however of starting of a chain of experiments involving different liquids from isopropyl alcohol to gum Arabic and the recording of the interactions with the carbon surface.

After taking photographs of these ‘interactions’, I began cleaning the glass plates, the dried liquids were proving surprisingly difficult to move. I wondered if these half-obliterated images could provide further images to reinforce the accidental force of the process.

This ’accident’ proved significant in the other starting points. Instead of consciously thinking to apply this with that to achieve this effect, I adopted a much more open-ended approach, relying more on intuition and improvisation. (for the first time for as long as I can remember I felt 'at home’ with this process.)

This resulted in the ‘excavations' series of images which had begun as experiments cutting back through physically layered groups of printed digital images, which were burned and abraded to a series of photographs and scans that examined the interaction of the view through various groups of aluminium letter and number stencils.

The ‘Dartflight/Chemistry’ began as the image capture concerning the deconstruction of a dartflight, which then moved to the freezing of photographic chemicals which when thawed on photographic paper would create aleatoric images.

My current work explores the relationship between analogue and digital photography and how they can be combined with other materials, mark-making, and ‘found’ surfaces within the ‘digital space’ to create digital collage, the final output being digital print.

My work has also included experimental film, panoramic and HDR photography, analogue film processing and print making, digital aesthetics, creativity, and digital printmaking

I find myself thinking about ‘embodiment, Merlau-Ponty, everyday aesthetics, relationship of Art to technology, seeing with the world……..

When I realised I just really enjoy the process….I am interested in the history of Art and ideas and I think this stuff all ‘comes through’ in what I do. I just love the process, it's open ended, surprising and it probably keeps me sane.

I imagined I was ‘explaining' what I do to one of my grandchildren………and that felt right.

Website: Jan Jarosz