BARBARA MALAROWSKA - SCALE AND DISTANCE II

SCALE AND DISTANCE II, 2008
C-TYPE PRINT

SCALE AND DISTANCE II EXPLORES DEATH IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND WITHIN THE FAMILY PORTRAIT. THE PROJECT DEPICTS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAMILY MEMBERS THROUGH THE IRRATIONAL FLOW OF TIME. THE SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS BECOMES A SPECTACLE OF MEMORIES WHICH IS AS BRIEF AS THE SOUND OF A CAMERA SHUTTER AND AS SUDDEN AS DEATH. BY USING MIXED MEDIA, FILM AND STILLS I AIM TO REMOVE THE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THEIR STILL AND FROZEN NATURE TO CREATE A SPECTACLE IN WHICH THE FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS ARE GIVEN A NEW ROLE TO PERFORM. THE FINAL PIECE REVEALS THE TENSION BETWEEN THE ‘FLAT DEATH’ OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS AND THEIR CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS. THE FAMILY MEMBERS AND SURROUNDINGS ARE INSEPARABLE AND INFLUENCE EACH OTHER, AS THE LANDSCAPE REFLECTS THE EMOTIONS AND FAMILY RELATIONS.

THE PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO ARE INSPIRED BY THE ART OF COFFIN PORTRAITURE, WHICH BECOME PROMINENT AROUND 1800 IN POLAND.