Altered Space 2, Alison Dalwood, Nothing from Something : Globe Gallery, Newcastle on Tyne, Solo Exhibition

Abstract

Alison Dalwood’s exhibition of new work opens at the Globe Gallery this month. Focusing on the relationship between viewer and the surrounding space through the installation of photographs printed on the reverse of fragile, semi-opaque film, her work subtly merges with and alters the existing architecture. Dalwood’s focus is perception and the spectator’s role in shaping both the form and the meaning of the work. By a process of partly dissolving the centre of what’s perceived, her photography echoes the way our peripheral vision is blurred or indistinct, while an emphasis on minimal materials brings into play the viewer’s imagination. She introduces atmospheric space through images of windows, curtains, traces of old wallpaper, and combines these with a sculptural attention to media and installation. The reflective surfaces she uses simultaneously activate the surrounding space while becoming a place containing movement; the viewer is caught, whether consciously or unconsciously, between perception of the visible object and what makes it visible: light.