Art Afternoon

Constructed Realities

LOFT Art Gallery

Photography is often thought of as a way of recording reality, but every photograph is the result of countless decisions. This exhibition brings together artists who construct images in very different ways. Some work very close to documentary; others carefully stage scenes or even create images without using a camera.

As you walk around the exhibition, think about where each work sits on the spectrum between observed and constructed, and how the artist's choices shape the way you experience the image.

Spend a few minutes with each artwork, then choose one work to spend some more time with.

Here are some prompts to help frame your observations. Draw on as many or as few as you would like

1. What caught your attention first?

• Was it a colour, a face, a detail, a feeling, the scale of the work, or simply curiosity?

• Notice your first response before you begin looking more closely.

• What, if anything, did the work make you feel?

2. What do you notice?

Before thinking about meaning, simply describe what you see.

• Is it light or dark?

• Colour or black and white?

• Are the colours vibrant or muted?

• Is the image sharp or soft?

• Is there movement or stillness?

• Where does your eye travel?

3. How has the artist constructed the image?

Think about the choices the artist has made.

• What has been included in the frame?

• What might have been left out?

• Does the image feel carefully arranged or spontaneously observed?

• Is place important, or could the image have been made anywhere?

4. What questions does the work leave unanswered?

notice what remains mysterious.

• What are you curious about?

• What do you wish you knew?