In John Clarke's work, photography and sound serve as a point of departure for creating landscapes that undulate with intense emotion. In this series, John Clarke's works are inspired by the energy of the Massachusetts Turnpike, which abuts the property and whose ambient sound permeates the park.
Long exposure photography, combined with lowlight and camera movement —a technique the artist calls “purposeful blur” —creates impressionistic images. There are, in turn, altered and reworked with abstract free-hand markmaking that directly responds to the sound of the Massachusetts Turnpike.
The result is a fascinating exploration of vibrational energy, captured in the moments of cars and trucks passing. Sometimes soothing, sometimes frenetic, waves smudge and dance like an EKG report of the nearby highway. Proximity to the Turnpike makes this exhibit uniquely site-specific, anchoring the work to the relentless motion of the highway, with a pre-recorded (and live) traffic soundscape accompanying the exhibit to add further context.
The artist will continue working on a series of new drawings at the exhibit, using the glass walls of the gallery and responding to the ambient sound in “real-time” to give visitors a glimpse into his process*.
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