ABSTRACTING 57˚ 35′ 1″ N

This is the first exhibition of a new and ongoing project by Mark Osborne produced in, and in response to, the Highlands of Scotland.

Having relocated from Glasgow to the Black Isle, Mark has found inspiration in his new surroundings and, in response, has developed an innovative technique to capture images of spaces and objects in the landscape.

Previously, Mark’s artistic practice was predominantly studio-based. He created temporary sculptural constructions made from common materials then photographed these using controlled lighting to produce images that are familiar yet fictional and anonymous.

This new project continues to challenge the flatness of the photographic surface and ask questions of what is being seen, how things might appear and how we negotiate, interpret and give meaning.

Working in the dead of night, Mark placed photographic light-sensitive paper in, behind and around objects, nooks and openings found within the landscape. He then used the flash of a Polaroid camera to expose the composition onto the paper. The resulting images were developed in his home darkroom. The Polaroid photograph documents both the place and the process of creating each work.

By fully utilising analogue photographic processes to create abstract compositions in and directly from the landscape, Mark has created works that explore time, space, light and form in photography.