Patrick

Dowling
Artist Statement I believe truth and time are interwoven in our cosmic web and its because of this belief that I do my work. But what is truth? Is it correctness? Is it righteousness? Will facts alone give us truth? Even our keen visual perceptibility may deceive to the point of giving us a confused reality. As our species progresses through time I wonder if we pause long enough to give it time that is - its proper due. Its my hope that if we can slow time down, capture it, and look at it in new and unfettered ways we may come closer to the truth of our existence. My medium is time-lapse photography delivered as high definition video. I have chosen this platform because it allows me to experiment with light, shape, contrast, shutter speed, and frame in ways that other visual mediums do not. Using a digital single-lens reflex (or DSLR) camera to acquire long sequences of still photographs and then using a digital video editing platform to export the sequences as high definition video offers vivid revelations found in nature, not available to the naked eye. The vagaries and seemingly whimsical patterns of life are presented more clearly using this technique to capture and reveal time, thus hopefully getting closer to the truth of our existence. Arguably, Mother Nature is the most unrelenting pattern maker of all artists. My work questions her rhythmic intervals and the inherent seriality of life itself. The slowing down, the repeating of subject matter, and the magnifying of detail all portray the essence of nature repeating itself. Revealing the detailed passages of growth, life, decay, and death not only offer us a new glimpse at nature, but perhaps our human nature as well. Is art partly a coping mechanism not only for seeking the truth, but the inevitable moment when life ceases, yet time continues its unyielding march without us? For me, in this age of instant information where we get smartphone alerts that the Dow has dropped 600 points, my work serves as a reflective moment where we can allow ourselves the opportunity to question how truth and time are interrelated to our existence.