"Indirectly Direct is rooted from an almost inexplicable obsession with natural light and has grown into a study of human and architectural interactions with both natural and artificial shadows.
Shadows are, by their very nature, indirectly direct.
Light is obstructed by an object and that object’s shadow is a direct translation of the object itself - an index. However, the translation of an object to its shadow can be obscured, obstructed, or falsified; no longer an index, but instead an artifact. Our interactions with shadows are brief due to their fleeting qualities, and depending on the time, weather, location, angle, and any obstructions in the way, shadows can be manipulated in different ways - making them indirect reflections of their true, direct form.
Whether intentional or not, we’re all constantly collaborating with light; in how we shift our attention when we come across a shadow, move around a space, plan our day, or design our surroundings. When those accidental interactions are then manipulated through the construction, deconstruction, and obstruction of light in purposeful ways, we become an active participant in how we, and others, absorb it.
This show is a translation of the shapes and feelings exposed by shadow imagery, video and projector manipulation, and ultimately my interactions, confrontations, and collaborations with light. Ephemera is captured in a more permanent place, controlled by the hand that manipulates it; an allegory, of sorts, to human relationships with the natural environment."
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ahmri Vandeborne is an interdisciplinary artist relying on the process of a meditative state and responding to happenstance to explore the conflict between what exists, what was destroyed, and the remnants of what is left behind, both in her encounters with the natural world and within her work. Using shadow imagery and various methods of light manipulation as a vehicle between natural and artificial elements, her work focuses on fleeting interactions and obstructions, to understand concepts of destruction and ephemerality.
Ahmri holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Studio Art from the University of Guelph, where she also completed minors in French and Art History. Upon graduation in 2019, she co-founded Otherwise Studios in Guelph Ontario, an inclusive studio space for art-making and community building, offering diverse opportunities for collaborating, teaching, innovating, and mess-making.
Instagram: @artbyahmri
This show can be viewed from the window of N/A Gallery at Necessary Arts Collective.
Artwork is available for purchase and 100% of sales go to the artist.
APRIL 15 to MAY 22 2021