Advertisement
Advertisement

Beyond Miracles

Janice Leung

1a space

Ends May 27

Laurent Pernot's passion for photography stands out a mile in his video installations at 1a space. On top of his sensitivity for light, the French artist is well-versed in digital media.

Beyond Miracles, part of Le French May, is a solo exhibition of the 26-year-old's work comprising five meditative pieces that explore the enchanting dimensions of life.

Behind the meditation is an artist technically trained at university in a wide spectrum of media, from photography to cinema, animation and interactive media. This solid technical background is essential to Pernot. 'I have to be comfortable with the various media before I can fully explore them in my works,' he says.

One of his videos, Gravity, featuring a teenage boy posed as an angel struggling to fly, is visually arresting, thanks not only to the two-metre-high projection and dark setting, but also to the special effects.

Pernot also uses digital effects in Confusion, a video in which a naked man with many faces tries to balance his body. 'It's a reflection on our daily lives,' he says. 'We often struggle with which identity to wear on different social occasions. I'm questioning in the work whether I'm a single man or merely what others project onto me.'

Despite his fascination with digital technology, Pernot also embraces traditional photography. The faces in Confusion come from old photographs he collected long before he planned the video. But he wasn't content with their small-scale presentation in Confusion, so he decided to make a large projection of an animation of the same portraits in Still Alives (above).

'The dusts, scratches and grains on the old photographs are so beautiful. I think it's easier for the audience to see these details in a larger image.'

Although Pernot is still working on his photographic and cinematic projects, he's also working with the most basic element of photography - light. Particles is an investigation of light featuring hundreds of glass beads spread on the floor. When light from the roof comes through, the glass beads sparkle like crystals.

Pernot belongs to a breed of artists whose appreciation of traditional media is built on familiarity with the new digital forms. 'I regard the relationship between the analogue and the digital as a transitional, rather than oppositional,' he says.

Unit 14, Cattle Depot Artists Village, 63 Ma Tau Kok Rd, To Kwa Wan. Inquiries: 2529 0087

Post