Artist Statement
Demonstrations
My process and choice of subject matter stems from growing up in a do-it-yourself household where I learned to appreciate the power that tools and materials hold. As I explore the garage and search through the basement to solve these pictures, I find new ways of putting old tools and familiar materials to work. Much of this work pursues temporal phenomena and the influence of physical forces on matter. Photography serves my practice well as a means to experience this activity in a single moment or to combine several different moments into a single experience.
The artwork I create combines my scientific curiosity with a constructive approach to making pictures. I utilize everyday objects and fundamental forces to illustrate my own experiences with wonder. Each photograph begins with a simple question “How would this look? Is that possible? What would happen if…?” and develops through a sculptural process of experimentation. I first test my assumptions about the interactions of certain objects and forces. Often this leads to more fascinating properties than I could have envisioned. As each image develops over time the subject's natural tendencies strongly influence my aesthetic decisions. An image is complete only when my intentions rectify with the fundamental qualities of the objects and forces at hand.
- Caleb Charland
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