murmuration — ALAN BUR JOHNSON

Murmuration 18:53:35

photo transparencies, metal frames, dissection pins

42" x 96" x 2"

2015

Murmuration and Swarm incorporate photographs of deteriorated feathers and insect wings that are documented against a shadowless ground. These sculptural photographic installations are comprised of hundreds of unique transparent images that are layered one upon another and encased in circular metal frames of varying size. Large accumulations of framed images are mounted on the wall with dissection pins in complex predetermined compositions that reference swarms of insects, flocks of birds, and rhythms found in the natural world.

The subjects are reanimated in a subtle kinetic manner, relying solely upon the faintest current of air or the exhalation of the viewer to bring them to life. The circular images gently flutter independently and collectively, like a swarm of bees or a murmuration of starlings, appearing to form, dissipate, and reform in space and time.

These works are equal parts poetic documentation and scientific inquiry, addressing fleeting life cycles, the passage of time, and an awareness of our temporal existence.

photo credit: Tim Lanterman