11 March – 13 May 2023
The Perth Centre for Photography is pleased to present Capturing Starlight, by Chloe Bartram opening at 6 pm, Friday, 10 March 2023.
Drawing on the visual and written languages of light, Capturing Starlight comprises archival photography, fieldwork, and artefact to explore the tension between the photographic image as art and evidence.
This work is a consideration of where art and the archive intersect and what can be suggested through the re-enactment of historical archival material. Is the accessibility of the archive increased when it is interpreted beyond the immediate function to inform and remember?
In the State Library of Western Australia is the collection connected to the 1922 Wallal solar eclipse expedition. This endeavour saw a delegation of international scientists and astronomers embark on a journey to the north-west of Western Australia to witness a solar eclipse, capture starlight and verify Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.
Through fragmentation, fracturing and unfolding, my project endeavours to illuminate what is sidelined in the archive of this event (Wallal). This investigation allows for active engagement with the past, rather than confining it to the stacked shelves of the archival vault.
Chloe Bartram, founding member of Lumina Collective and PhD candidate at Murdoch University, is an award-winning photographic artist and visual narrator currently residing in the seaside city of Fremantle, Western Australia. Using the conventions of social documentary and photography, Chloe endeavours to explore the idiosyncratic nature of the human condition, create new perspectives on the Aussie outback and bring the lived experiences of women to the centre of discussion.