From time
to time I receive communications from readers of RockArtBlog who share their
work and studies with me. I have even published some of these on this blog. I
have recently had the pleasure of receiving the pictures below from Chris
Markes of Moab, Utah. Instead of recording rock art as an
archaeological/anthropological or scientific endeavor, Chris is pointing at the
artistic qualities of rock art panels, enhancing their mood with night time
long-exposure shots. The sheer beauty of these pictures immediately grabbed me
and I want to share this with all of you. As you view these pictures try to
temporarily shut off the rock art studies or recording frame of mind and
approach them as if they are still life or trompe l’oeil works of art. I like
to imagine a bright moonlit night, one of those that is almost bright enough to
read a newspaper by, with the beautiful universe behind and above the rock art
panel.
In describing his approach to these beautiful time lapse photographs he
said; “I go for around 2600-2800 kelvin
for lighting in order to get that nice warm vs. cool look between the night sky
and the art! I moved to using a small RGB LED panel, so the light is
constant.” Chris added that his
illumination level setting is “at 1% of
100% and on these, they’re actually bouncing light from the ground, then back
up to the art.” I find the result to be quite striking and unforgettable.
In Chris’ words “Visiting the panels is a rather transformative experience in a present
time where existential nihilism is the pill of the day – the panels to me serve
as a reminder about imagining a time where meaning, purpose and survival were
brought into the present moment. While many of us, due to modern conveniences,
presently watch/observe life, the idea of truly living life – taking it in, and
experiencing it, serves as a profound reminder that our time here is transient,
limited, and important.” Well said Chris.
Additionally, Chris sent me a time-lapse video compilation at Arches National Park. (Cut and paste into your browser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwF8Q6WhkjQ). If you look closely, at 2.18 of the video you can see a satellite crossing the sky over Arches (music by Vangelis).
While Chris is not the only person doing this sort of photography his
work is a really excellent example of using photography to focus on the mood of
a rock art panel instead of merely recording the reality of its presence. He is
literally establishing its beauty and presence in the universe. As a student of
rock art since 1979 from a background of Art History instead of Archaeology I
appreciate the beauty of Chris’s presentations. Thank you Chris for sharing and
I look forward to seeing more of your work.
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