© Rosemary LAING
flight research #9
| Artist | Rosemary LAING |
|---|---|
| Year | 1999 |
| Material/ Technique | chromogenic print |
| Size/ Duration | H61.7 × W61.7cm |
| Copyright Notice | © Rosemary LAING |
| Year of acquisition/ donation | 2000 |
| Description | Born in Brisbane, Australia in 1959. Lives and works in Sydney. After studying painting, in the 1980s Rosemary Laing began unveiling conceptual photographic works and performances. Her works typically consist of large, panoramic photographs in which highly energetic performances are photographed in various settings including the vast Australian wilderness and products of mechanical civilization, such as airports and aircraft interiors. Her own grandiose plans are often realized with the help of experts in various fields, such as astrophysicists, landscape photographers, stuntpersons, and airline personnel. These two works are from a series featuring a woman photographed suspended in midair over the Blue Mountains near Sydney. The ‘state of suspension’ Laing herself refers to is achieved through the use of the bridal costume, which suggests a shift away from virginity, time as symbolized by the faintly tinted horizon, and the location between the sky and the ground. The works in this series, which are not digitally altered in any way and capture with the same attention to detail of studio photographs moments in time that indicate the true meaning of ‘flight,’ are in the Futurist and Surrealist traditions, such as Marcel DUCHAMP’s "Nude Descending a Staircase" and "Bride". They also emphasize a sense of energy and the spectacles that are the product of civilized society by making full use of the characteristics of the medium of photography. Laing’s photographs, which belong to the genre of conceptual photography that has thrived since the 1980s and that relies on the kind of elaborate set designs and special effects used in movies, represent some of the most dynamic, spectacular examples of this genre. According to Laing, one of her main influences is Bruce NAUMAN’s "Failing to Levitate in My Studio" (1966), an influence that is most obvious in the defiance of gravity of the bodies in her photographs and in the leap from reality. |
NOTES
This Collection Data page contains the works and materials in the collection of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, as of April 1, 2018.
Artists are listed alphabetically by artist’s surname.
Works and materials by the same artists are listed according to the date of the work in principle.
Works whose dates are unidentified are listed at the end of each item. Some works are not listed according to the date of work due to their relations.
The data of works and materials are listed in order of title, production year, material/technique/form, dimensions, donor’s name, copyright holder and credit for photograph.
Dimensions are given by height (H) x width (W) in centimeters for plane work, and height (H) x width (W) x depth (D) in cm for 3-D work. Diameter (Ø) is used for circular work.
For the name of country or city, the name currently used in English is listed in principle.