“Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.”
Junichiro Tanizaki. In Praise Of Shadows. 1933
I find myself drawn to the interaction of natural light and shadow on the geometric shapes found in interiors and in particular, the transitional spaces of buildings where art is displayed or made.
By their very nature, these spaces aren’t destinations, they are for passing through and yet, they are often the only place in these buildings where natural light is allowed to enter unhindered by shades or baffles. The subtle abstracts created by this slowly moving light and shadow are of course, also transient, sometimes only lasting seconds before a cloud dims the sunlight, or a shadow moves enough to break an alignment I have been waiting for.
In his book, In Praise Of Shadows, Tanizaki argued, that the simple interiors of traditional Japanese buildings, the objects within and the clothes worn, depend on shadow for their beauty.
Perhaps, this is also true of these transitional spaces and is why I find myself pushing these images of usually well lit corridors, stairs and other between spaces, ever darker and find that even the brightest, simplest image can speak to me, if there is shadow.
