The inspiration for the series It Happens After Dark comes from my
fascination with how the forest appears unfamiliar, mysterious, and
spooky during the night. I find it interesting how familiar spaces
become so unfamiliar just by changing the amount of light available
within the scene. The work is motivated by my curiosity with how
lighting can affect a landscape through a combination of photography
and installations.
The imaginative landscapes featured within the series are achieved by
combining long exposures and light installations within Canadian
landscapes. These built on-site interventions are used to temporarily
alter a space through the genre of night photography. Photography
becomes an important aspect of the project because the camera
allows for the ability to capture exaggerated and otherwise impossible
durations of time. Furthermore, integrating the installations into nature
and then dismantling them after the photograph is captured allows for
the series to be the only proof of the installation’s existence within
nature.
This combination presents the viewers with a rare moment in time
they would otherwise not physically be able to witness. This series is
the only evidence that these interventions ever altered the space they
once occupied. As a result, the imagery allows the viewer the
opportunity to visually explore the relationship between reality and
imagination surrounding each photograph. The strangeness that lies
beneath each image encourages the viewers to impose their own
narratives on the imagery.
Emma Blackshaw is a photo-based artist residing in Bradford, Ontario. She creates built on-site interventions that temporarily alter a landscape through the genre of night photography. The interventions explore the unique characteristics that lighting can produce within a space. The work focuses on her relationship with Canadian landscapes and how she can stage scenes that exist somewhere between reality and imagination. The lighting transforms the landscapes into mysterious, spooky, and dream-like environments.
