fallen

Jim Campbell, still image from Library, 2003, photogravure print with low res LED panel

Time, my nemesis, is in a constant struggle with memory, often my greatest weapon against the former. Though they are, of course, inseparable in their hauntingly seductive tango each strives to obtain my full attention. To focus on one too long will inevitably mean the neglect of the other, and the eventual lamentation that fact.

Tropes of time and memory are old hat in the artistic realms, just think of still-lifes and memento mori. Photography is inextricably tied to these themes and, whether with still or moving images, artists have long experimented with its capabilities. The fourth floor of the Vancouver Art Gallery is currently showcasing three such artists and I was recently arrested by the work of Jim Campbell. It must, as all art, be seen without intervening screens or pages but it is still quite captivating here where an example of cinematic elements of the work can be viewed. The exhibition Walking + Falling: Jim Campbell, Chris Marker, and Eadweard Muybridge will be on display until September 5, 2011.