At a time when isolation and fear permeate every region on Earth, the desire to escape reality seems equally widespread. “Rising Heat” is a series of eight unique photograms created in 2020 by London-based artist Anne Hardy. It explores the allure of escapism amidst the difficult circumstances of a worldwide pandemic and the rebirth and change that can be stirred during such challenging times. While Hardy’s photograms give an immediate and intriguing impression of their subject, the process of their creation is just as compelling: the photogram captures a moment in time, a unique imprint of its composed subject. These striking glimpses into her time spent in the darkroom parallel the isolation experienced worldwide and the inherent potential that can be found even within abandoned shoreside debris (or a world ravaged by the devastation of a horrific virus). This exhibition has been revised for online viewing and it reflects the adaptation that has been necessitated throughout the world.
Anne Hardy
Rising Heat (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light), 2020 Framed unique photogram on c-type paper
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Depictions of movement and change form the foundation of “Rising Heat” — each photogram generates contrast between light and shadow, forming smooth gradients of colour that flow from bright yellows, pinks, reds, and blues, all the way to total black. An interplanetary, cosmic undertone throughout all the pieces alludes to solar events like sunrise and sunset, injecting the black void of the photographic paper with vivid atmospheric colours. The motion between day and night is most directly implied in the photogram “Future Trace,” in which a smooth black-to-orange gradient of colour surrounds a bright white circle in the centre, its edges hazy like the blazing silhouette of the Sun. Visible in the foreground are particles and fragments of matter that Hardy collected from the shores of the River Thames during field research for her sculptural installation, “The Depth of Darkness, The Return of the Light” for Tate Britain in 2019 (Paley 2021). By incorporating these discarded, forgotten objects and materials into new forms, she highlights the cycles of nature from which she draws inspiration, forging life from decay, making something out of nothing. Objects that one might consider “junk” become precious again. According to Hardy, the titles of the individual photograms are all related to states of change (Paley 2021, 5:05).
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Anne Hardy
Rising Heat (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light), 2020
Framed unique photogram on c-type paper
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This is particularly exemplified by the piece “Rising Heat,” whose subject is a phantasmal silhouette of a plantlike form stretching its tendrils towards black nothingness, as if it is extracting all available energy from the darkness. In this case, the “rising heat” could be what provides energy to the budding plant. From the solar cycles implied by the colours to the revival and reincarnation of discarded objects, cycles of rebirth are fundamental in this series.
These gradients of change reflect the passage of time from one day to the next, revealing undertones of the temporality inherent in life. Compared to conventional photography , the medium of the photogram more directly conveys touch and intimacy in this context of temporality. In the article “Glowing Evidence: Photograms — The Dark Side of Photography” by Susanne Ramsenthaler, she discusses the differences between photographs and photograms, such as contact and absence: “…the absence of the object becomes a significant part, the absence being indicated by the image itself, while signifying that there was presence in the form of contact" (Ramsenthaler 2012, 39). A crucial aspect of the photogram that sets it apart is its reliance on the object’s temporary contact with the paper and its subsequent absence.
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Anne Hardy Simultaneous Reality (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light), 2020 Framed unique photogram on c-type paper |
At the time of its creation, it is not only symbolic of that moment, but symbolic of the ephemeral nature of every form of touch we experience. While photographs can result in an immediately identifiable reproduction of their subject, photograms are more “cognitively distant,” according to Ramsenthaler (34). We are left with a trace of the object, a suggestion of its existence, and we must fill in the rest. In “Simultaneous Reality,” the subject is a translucent, furrowed material that resembles a thin plastic sheet. It epitomizes the feeling of fragility — there is a suggestion of human touch in the way it is neatly folded, as well as a sense of impermanence in its translucence.
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Anne Hardy Descent (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light), 2020 Framed unique photogram on c-type paper |
The series captures a powerful feeling of potential in its exploration of found object art. By assembling something new out of unremarkable, abandoned objects, Hardy has infused them with newfound importance, as if the artwork exists in a different reality from that in which the objects were tossed aside — her arrangements of the objects form just one permutation of the possibilities that exist. In her words, “it’s about how the fragments combine together and become something else" (Hardy 2021). Hardy’s focus on the process is particularly evident in her medium: The darkroom plays a key role in these unique realities that come to life. Rather than the reproducible nature of photographs, her photograms are made real only in the moment of their creation inside the darkroom, so they cannot be duplicated in the same way. The darkroom is her means to reach an end result, and it turns out to be more arbitrary than controlled. These photograms depict one of many possible permutations of their subject that represent single moments of time — visible portrayals of potential.
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Anne Hardy
Into Darkness (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light), 2020 Framed unique photogram on c-type paper |
There is a profoundly introspective tone to the process, the completed works, and their online exhibition that articulates the collective feelings experienced worldwide of solitude and separation. The darkroom functions as a source of possibility, a “temporary suspension from the world" (Paley 2021). Allusions to the human touch that once happened give a sense of intimacy to the unique photogrammical process, especially in Hardy’s own isolation while gathering and assembling them. Hardy hopes to be able to display her works in person in April once the restrictions ease in London, but for now, viewing her photograms is an exercise in solitude experienced through a device’s screen (Hardy 2021). Anyone with access to the internet can view the exhibition without travelling to London. While current circumstances have perhaps suppressed connections within local communities, online exhibitions facilitate people coming together to experience art from anywhere: this is one of the most observable allusions to this series rooted in rebirth and potential. Hardy took the challenges of current public art viewing and transformed her art in a way that reflects the adaptation that is happening all around the world.
“It’s about how the fragments combine together and become something else."
“Rising Heat” provides a unique perspective on Hardy’s process and outcome that is particularly impactful during the pandemic we are enduring. The elements within her photograms work synergistically to depict the change, rebirth, and potential that are echoed worldwide as we navigate these modifications to our daily life. The graduated colours of the photograms allude to the constant cycles of nature while the transience of human contact is evident in the skeletal, translucent subjects that Hardy assembled herself from abandoned debris. As an art form, these photograms reflect the possibility for any permutation of a subject to become a work of art, and their online exhibition has surfaced new promise for connecting people who otherwise would not be able to attend. The way she has created, adapted, and displayed this exhibition is a striking display of determination and a poignant reminder of our inherent potential.
References
Hardy, Anne. “Anne Hardy and Fatoş Üstek in conversation.” Interview by Fatoş Üstek. Maureen Paley, Feb. 4, 2021. www.maureenpaley.com/system/files/022021/602d5ddc35f339cf8e000057/original/Anne_Hardy_Studio_M_In_Conversation.pdf?1613585884.
Hardy, Anne. “Anne Hardy - interview: ‘I’m interested in residues, leftovers, stranded things, as carriers of potential’.” Interview by David Trigg. Studio International, Mar. 12, 2021. www.studiointernational.com/index.php/anne-hardy-interview-i-am-interested-in-residues-leftovers-stranded-things-as-carriers-of-potential-rising-heat-maureen-paley-studio-m-london.
Hardy, Anne. “Descent (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light),” 2020. Framed unique photogram on c-type paper, 62.2 x 52 x 4 cm. London, Studio M. www.maureenpaley.com/exhibitions/online-exhibition-anne-hardy?image=8.
Hardy, Anne. “Future Trace (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light),” 2020. Framed unique photogram on c-type paper, 62.2 x 52 x 4 cm. London, Studio M. www.maureenpaley.com/exhibitions/online-exhibition-anne-hardy?image=11.
Hardy, Anne. “Into Darkness (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light),” 2020. Framed unique photogram on c-type paper, 62.2 x 52 x 4 cm. London, Studio M. www.maureenpaley.com/exhibitions/online-exhibition-anne-hardy?image=11.
Hardy, Anne. “Rising Heat (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light),” 2020. Framed unique photogram on c-type paper, 62.2 x 52 x 4 cm. London, Studio M. www.maureenpaley.com/exhibitions/online-exhibition-anne-hardy?image=7.
Hardy, Anne. “Simultaneous Reality (The Depth of Darkness, the Return of the Light),” 2020. Framed unique photogram on c-type paper, 62.2 x 52 x 4 cm. London, Studio M. www.maureenpaley.com/exhibitions/online-exhibition-anne-hardy?image=12.
Paley, Maureen. “ANNE HARDY, Rising Heat.” Maureen Paley, Feb. 18, 2021. Press Release. www.maureenpaley.com/exhibitions/online-exhibition-anne-hardy/press-release.
Paley, Maureen. "ANNE HARDY, Rising Heat, Studio M Online, 2021.” Vimeo video, 5:05. Uploaded by Maureen Paley, Feb. 17, 2021. vimeo.com/513368640/b97346127d.
Ramsenthaler, Susanne. "Glowing Evidence: Photograms – The Dark Side of Photography" Creativity Studies 5, no. 1 (2012): 34, 39. doi.org/10.3846/20297475.2012.660548.
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