The Joint Gaze
2020
2020
The Joint Gaze (weightlifters in Lithuania)
Polymer Photogravure on Zerkall paper
series of 3 differnt prints, each print as an edition of 5
dimensions: print 12,5 x 9,1 cm, paper 27 x 19 cm
developed at Frans Masereel Centrum, BE, in February 2020
Polymer Photogravure on Zerkall paper
series of 3 differnt prints, each print as an edition of 5
dimensions: print 12,5 x 9,1 cm, paper 27 x 19 cm
developed at Frans Masereel Centrum, BE, in February 2020
The Joint Gaze
The muscular bodies cast long shadows onto the paved road. The sky must have been blue, the sun shining bright.
She remembers villagers coming together in excitement, gathering around the temporal locality defined by a thin black construction of horizontal and vertical crossings which rise high above the heads of the spectators.The bodies of the lifters are being bent in one or the other direction to physically and mentally prepare for the competition that lies ahead. She sees you falling on your knees and with two hands on the ground you take a sniff of something that most likely gives you access to a far more balanced mindset.
They feel you when you carry 200kg of weight on your shoulders. Any body seems fragile under that weight. A weight that they know of but don’t see. Their gaze follows your movement up the street and down again. Your steps become faster the closer you are to the finishing line. They admire your concentration, are fascinated by your strength, they applaud, they scream.
She places the carefully prepared plate onto the press. Adds layers of paper, always the same amount of sheets, and two felted blankets. She does not feel the weight of the press, only knows that by tur ning the wheel she transfers tons of weight onto the horizontal plane, eventually onto the plate. She removes the blankets, takes off the sheets of paper, peels off the one that is touching the copper plate. The hard edges have imprinted a rectangular form into the soft paper and have set the boundaries for the black and white photograph.
The sky must have been blue, the sun shining bright.