dan browne

Cathedral (2015)

4k HD video | 20' (endless loop) | vertical orientation

Cathedral considers the relationship of the screen to earlier forms of mediated light, such as stained glass, which both utilize "light through", as opposed to the "light falling upon" that characterizes the cinematic image. Marshall McLuhan contended that while the latter establishes a distanced point of view whereby the viewer is positioned as the camera, the former generates participation and involvement, as the viewer becomes the screen itself -- "a thing of profundity and depth." Stained glass was the product of an era and environment designed for contemplation, a state not often encountered within our contemporary world. This work draws upon these connections, merging organic and digital forms via a refracted metamorphosis of the Douglas Firs of Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park. As technology and screens become ubiquitous, the timelessness of natural forms can offer a means for accessing moments of eternity.