it's been a busy week so i'm a bit behind in giving you all an update on how things are progressing. but i've got a few posts coming up that should sort that out.
On 7 August i had the afternoon free so nothing seemed more natural then spending it indoors reading books and looking at photographs.
My enthusiasm still high i delved further into Long's oeuvre. Over of the course of the day the conceptual significance of Long's photography became more and more apparent. What in particular came out from this session is how much information Long omits. So while we are often aware that his walks take place over a number of days or weeks there is no visual evidence for this process. The documents we do have, whether images/text pieces/installations, do little to literally represent Long's working process. Instead Long produces work that is far more evocative and asks us to actively use our imagination. Long does not attempt to tell us everything but rather instigates a process of reflection within which we can draw our own conclusions.
I also managed to watch TV and legitimately call it study. I had got hold of a copy of Philip Haas's film that documents Long's walk across the Sahara. It was on VHS and after dusting down some gigantic machine i realised that this cumbersome black rectangle actually contained visual material. The film itself gave an interesting insight into Long's practice. While this was not a revelation (unsurprising Long walks, makes sculpture, walks some more) there were some insights. Such as Long, after making a stone circle, and photographing the results stands the stones down leaving no evidence (other than the image) of his presence. Long also discusses controlling the 'visibility and invisibility' of his work which pretty much sums up what i had been pondering earlier. But it was fascinating to see that Long is conscience of how much of his working process remains obscured.
Another productive session and i'm gradually gaining a bit more of an insight into Long's practice and the significance of his work.
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