Chris Fraser - Eidolons September 15, 2012

From September 15th to October 27th, 2012; Reception Saturday, Sept 15, 5-7pm

"Ever the dim beginning,
Ever the growth, the rounding of the circle,
Ever the summit and the merge at last, (to surely start again),
Eidolons! Eidolons!"

Walt Whitman, Eidolons

In Greek, an eidolon can be either a phantom or an image of the ideal. In his eponymous poem, Walt Whitman celebrates this tenuous relationship and describes a world composed entirely of images, crafted from our histories, expectations, and desires. Chris Fraser found that Whitman's idea of the eidolon echoed his investigations into light projection, and the poem serves as inspiration for the work presented at HIGHLIGHT.

The exhibition consists of three mediums of work. "Arc, Kearny Street, 2012", invites us to look through a hole at the center of the vinyl coated window. By doing so, the viewer blocks light from entering at that point and sees projected on the white wall inside an arc of light depicting the hues and perturbations of the world outside. In "Eidolon, Philips 45PAR38/HAL/FL/LL, 2012", an almost imperceptible hole pierces the ceiling of a darkened room. From it emerges the image of a light bulb, projecting onto the adjacent wall. "Eidolon, Philips 45PAR38/HAL/FL/LL, 2012", "Eidolon, Philips 75PAR30L/HAL/SP/LL, 2012", Eidolon, GE 75PAR30L/H/SP10, 2012, the three photographs presented in the exhibition, are direct light recordings made from the light bulb projections.

In the presence of light, things cast off images of themselves. Though rarely seen, these pictures fill the air around us. With the work presented in this show, Chris Fraser has pursued the shape and texture of floodlights. Each projection directly echoes the form of the bulb pictured. In their presence, we begin to appreciate the direct relationship between image and object.

Official Website: http://highlightgallery.com/exhibition/untitled/