Approved: 24.07.2017

Hugh Pryor

Artist, Maker

Approved: 24.07.2017

My current work combines performance art and light painting to explore movement through long exposure photography.

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Thoughts

     

    Artist Statement

    My current work combines performance art and light painting to explore movement through long exposure photography.

    I trained as an animator, creating movement from a sequence of still images, but with my photography I reverse the process by making movements into a still image.

    A universe of textures and patterns opens up when you slice time up and spread it over the field of view - light reflects off the human figure in many ways - the shimmering reflections, the shadows and the masking of light, turning the subject into a living, moving paintbrush.

    I study these strange effects from moving reflective surfaces and distil them through carefully controlled lighting, including LEDs with masks and filters, ultraviolet laser light onto fluorescent materials through special lenses, and microprocessor controlled LED arrays to change the spatial and temporal qualities of the light.

    These tools allow me to explore time from the outside and the sensory narrative of being in motion from within, 

    CV & Education

    Selected Exhibitions / Installations

    Director’s Cut – bottle chandelier and selected figurative photographs, Ovada gallery (2017)
    VIDEOVADA – interactive fractal projections, OVADA gallery (2016)
    Psychedelic Circus – fractal projections and laser shadow wall The Cellar, Oxford (2016)
    Posed – experimental life drawing exhibition, OVADA gallery (2017)
    Uncovered – exhibition of life drawings, OVADA gallery, Oxford  (2016)
    Slit Scans – Quarter Horse Coffee Cowley Road  (2015)
    Tralfamadorian Vision – slit scans, Oxford Artweeks at OVADA gallery (2014)
    Take-out with ArtWash, Tsang’s Kitchen, Oxford (2009)
    Slit Scans – Tenderpixel Gallery, Soho, London (2008)
    The City as a Canvas – gps mapping – ESAD Matosinhos  Oporto, Portugal (2008)
    Selected GPS Drawings – Oxford Artweeks (2007)
    Drawing with Satellites – FNAC  Oporto, Portugal (2007)
    Triptych Map – Sure Start, Tate Britain, London with Lake Associates (2006)
    FreQut – ICA Theatre, Westminster Wireless Festival, London (2006)
    Geograms  <TAG> gallery, The Hague, Netherlands (2006)
    Randonnée – SONAR Advanced Music and Multimedia Art, Barcelona (2005)
    Drawing on Oxford – workshop display,  Museum of Oxford & Modern Art Oxford (2004)
    Common Place – Landform Ueda workhop at The Lighthouse, Glasgow (2003)
    Holding the Line – Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery  Reno, Nevada (2002)
    The Big Draw – Modern Art Oxford (2002)
    Bathos – Space Station 65  Dulwich, London. Dog Drawings (2002)
    Taking a Line for a Walk – X-Change gallery, Oxford (2002)

    Workshops / Installations

    UV Laser photography – The Ruskin School of Art (2017)
    Slit scans and Chronochromagraphy – OVADA, Director’s Cut exhibition (2017)
    VIDEOVADA – interactive fractal workshop, OVADA gallery (2016)
    Pixel Stick workshop – Tandem Festival (2015)
    Light Drawing workshop – OVADA gallery (2015)
    Paper folding – workshop with Oxford Hack Space,  OVADA gallery (2013)
    Schlieren Photography with Tim Stephens from Oxford Hackspace OVADA gallery (2014)
    Halloween pumpkin chandelier, Stammtisch for OVADA gallery (2013 and 2014)
    Blogging from Mobiles – with Kay sentence (2008)
    University of Oporto on Matosinhos Beach and Reitoria with the University of Austin, Texas (2007)
    FreqOUT! Churchill Gardens Youth Club on Battersea Park for Westminster Council (2006)
    Drawing Oxford on Oxford Modern Art Oxford (2004)
    GPS Drawing workshops at schools (2002-2003): King’s Park Primary School Edinburgh, Chichester High School West Sussex, Montem Junior School Slough.
    Drawing on Oxfordshire – Part of “The Big Draw” at the Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock (2003) with 5 schools around Oxfordshire.
     

    Education

    Woodwork course at Rycotewood OCVC (2012)
    Experimental film OFVM (2007)
    Animation BA Hons, Surrey Institute of Art and Design (1996-1998)
    Art Foundation Course Banbury (1994-1995)
     

    Work Experience

    OVADA Board Member (since 2011)

    Voluntary work for arts organisation - includes helping with construction of studios and school, building the ovada.org.uk web site, photography, planning, helping set up and documentation of exhibitions and events. As a volunteer I'm involved with day-to-day running of the warehouse including introducing visitors and assisting exhibitors with setting up shows.
     

    Freelance work (2005 - 2015)

    web design, graphic design, illustration - Web design for artists, sculptors and local businesses including www.rogerperkins.com, www.artwash.co.uk, yolandenye.co.uk, kaysentance.com, www.paulamey.com, www.alanfranklin.com, www.alisonberman.com, www.stephenbhurst.com, www.francishamel.com, www.ovada.org.uk, www.bossaphonik.com,  www.oxfordwalkingtours.com (some sites have changed)
    Bossaphonik publicity and website updates design with DJ Dan Ofer (2010-present).
    MedStamp branding, MRI data transfer and turning MRI dataset into an alien (2007)


    Roger Perkins

    Re-Cycle - Sculpture made from 60 bicycles with dynamo powered lighting, water and sound devices for the Oxford Big Green Day Out and Tandem Festival
    Greenham Resort - assembling exhibition at New Greenham Arts Centre, Newbury. Followed by eBay sale of museum contents (2008)
    Typewriter Clock - digital clock made from movies of a typewriter (2006)
    An Empty Vessel - St Botolph's Church (2003-2004) Two life size wax figures melted over a 3 month period and broadcast with webcams. Digitally filtered 120,000 images to create time-lapse movies. Included CD-ROM presentation containing slide shows, movies and music.

    Lake Associates (2001 - 2006)

    Assistant Designer for Oxford based Design and Communications company.
    Branding, web design, artwork, layout, 3-d modelling/CAD, photographic retouching, typography and illustration. Clients include Søren Jensen Engineers, Ladybird Cranes, IPC Media, Atkins, Oxford Airport, BGS Architects, and Tate Britain.

    The GPS Drawing Project (2001 - 2007)

    Founded in 2001. Involved making large scale drawings over the landscape recorded on GPS receivers, including a 13 mile wide fish, the world's biggest 'IF' (point size 319,334,400 or 70 miles tall), saving the Trap Grounds, Oxford from developers by proving it to be more than 50% accessible, a giant spider on Port Meadow with 34 km of line, not to mention deploying dogs as large scale artists.