We spoke to artist Simon Bray, the mind behind the profound and picturesque exhibition Searching Beneath the Silence, currently open at The Arc, Winchester. In this article, Simon tells us more about the show, which is a culmination of his brilliant photographic project - the source from which the exhibition derives its title.
Tell us about how the show came about; what does the name mean?
Searching Beneath The Silence is a body of work that has evolved over the past six years, since the passing of my younger sister Jess. Throughout that period, I utilised photography as a means of contemplation, a search for solace in spaces such as woodlands, meadows and old churches in which I sought space and quiet, both of which can be very profound in those environments. Photography for me has always been more than a document of a moment, it’s a means to connect the internal and external elements of life. It also provides you with feedback. I try and shoot quite instinctively; like any artist my work is a result of my influences and experiences. In particular when making this work I didn’t have any set agenda or methodology, so it was interesting to sense which scenes and subjects I was drawn towards, and then over time develop a relationship with the pictures that revealed some of myself back to me as I sat with them over time.
The intention behind the title is to try and elicit the sense that amidst my searching of these quiet places I was looking for something more than I could see. I wanted to ask questions of the seemingly eternal natural and spiritual encounters and try to discern my grief, a stunted search for answers that could probably more appropriately be summarised as a search for the place in which to ask my unformed questions.
The exhibition presents a strong vision. What influenced your stylistic choices in executing the hang?
I didn’t want the exhibition to feel like a resolution. There are many points of hope and beauty amidst the more contemplative images, but throughout the making of the work I have wrestled with an uncertainty that I wanted to try and represent in the show. For that reason, I have also housed the artworks in reclaimed frames, partly as an aesthetic decision as many of the tones of the frames and images work well together, partly to ensure that each is entirely unique, but they also add a sense of age to the artworks. The frames have all had a previous life and present their imperfections, which I hope imbues a sense of reassurance to the audience that life isn’t perfect and that we present to the world as our own beautiful selves, with all our bumps and scrapes on show.
In terms of the hang, I didn’t want there to feel like there was a beginning, end or a particular order in which the work should be read. When presenting the images in book form, the sequence is absolutely vital and I will spend many days working on refining it. The images have to speak to each other so directly and the reader only has the capacity to hold a few in their mind at once. With an exhibition, you can be drawn to a particular work for no discernible reason, and then spend as much or as little time with it as you like. So, I’ve tried to present the work in considered groupings, to allow for a vague sense of flow, but without dictating too much to the viewer.
Your audio piece evokes the state of mind with which many of your photographs may have been taken, and when listened to while viewing your photos produces an intense effect that draws the viewer more closely into the work, was this an intended effect?
Yes, absolutely, and I’m delighted to be able to present the two together. In essence they are the same artwork, one visual, one audio. They share the same narrative and hold very similar spaces, but are engaged with in very different ways. The audio perhaps gives away more answers to my personal context than the images do, but also presents its own questions at the same time. I didn’t want to overly project my circumstances to the viewer. After all, it’s my search for solace, not theirs, but hopefully in combination, the elements present themselves to the viewer with plenty for them to consider if they are able to spend time engaging with the works.
What lies in the future for Searching Beneath the Silence and yourself?
Great question! Having presented the work as both an artist book and exhibition, I feel a certain relief in sharing it with the world. The making of the work has occurred in a very intense period of my life and in a way I’m glad to have a reason to present it and leave some distance for a little while, largely as an emotional relief as part of the process of letting go, which in turn allows me headspace to consider other things! Eventually I would like to work with a publisher to create a trade edition of the book, and I already know that the edit of that will vary greatly from previous iterations, largely because of the passing of time, my relationship to both the pictures and the experiences that has informed them, and the format.
I never quite know whether an exhibition is a full stop or something that might propel me forwards, I shall see! In terms of what I have coming up, I’m excited to be exhibiting some work at Newlyn Gallery in the new year, which has been made there in the harbour and I have other bodies of photographic work which I will try and present in a book form at some point. I’m running a series of photography workshops at The Colour Factory this year, which is always fun. I also want to explore more options with audio and my music, as well as potentially a PhD. As you can see, as it is with life as an artist, there are too many options and not enough time or money!
Find out more about Simon here: Simon Bray - Photographer
Searching Beneath the Silence is open until 18 May. Find out more here.
