The Seylynn Lights (2)

"I am visually fascinated by the world revealed through sodium vapor and mercury halide. But there's something else about the night. It is a time of rest and rejuvenation but it is also a time for dreaming and growth. Typically a time of solitude or partnership, but I sense it is the time when we are all of us are connected to each other." www.grunertimaging.com

BIO

Kristopher Grunert was born in 1978 on the family farm in Saskatchewan of 125 years. Grunert credits the prairie environment for developing his vision, spatial sense, and cultivating a understanding of how to work within the Earth's cycles.

His work is provoked by an interest in structures and systems that connect us; bridges, viaducts, buildings, cities and nature. The intention of his work is to document and reinterpret conventional perceptions of space, turning the ordinary into extraordinary and blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

"For me photography is all about journey, exploration and a pursuit of personal knowledge. I intuitively follow my camera which leads me to new places and always teaches me something new. In that pursuit of personal discovery, the photographs document the journey and act as evidence that I am compelled to share with the world."

Kristopher's fine art recognition and commercial assignments have taken him around the world. His work has been shown in London, New York City, Brussels, Berlin and Vancouver. The Lucie Foundation has awarded him 1st place in the International Photography Awards for the second consecutive year, has picked up several PDN awards, been recognized by Applied Arts and was a finalist for the Hasselblad Masters in 2008.


ARTIST STATEMENT

When we consciously experience a sunrise or sunset, a new moon or a full moon, the equinoxes and solstices, or visit unique spots on the planet, a calibrating effect results which involves the whole biological rhythmic systems. Therefore we become resynchronized by our own conscious effort.

The majority of my photographs are taken during the night. I am visually fascinated by the world revealed through sodium vapor and mercury halide. But there is something else about the night. It is traditionally a time of rest and rejuvenation but is also a time for dreaming and for growth. Although it is typically a time of solitude or of partnership, I sense that it is the time when all us are most connected to each other.

When taking photographs at night, time seems to dissolve. I find myself connecting or re-connecting to the world around me. All of my senses come alive, my head clears, I compose, and then focus. I notice where the clouds are - which direction they are moving, the position of the moon, the phase that it's in - even if these elements do not appear in my photograph I am aware of them. The direction of the wind, the way the trees sway, I understand that they will blur. Once the composition in fine tuned, I become aware of the stars and the movement of the earth in relationship to them, knowing that they will appear as trails rather than points of light.

Then I take a breath...breathe and open the shutter. During this time I consciously visualize the light entering the lens, traveling through the aperture into the camera and finally recording permanently onto the transparency film or temporarily on the ccd sensor. In doing so, I feel as though I am nurturing a relationship with the light. By acknowledging the beauty, I sort of become one with the scene, connecting to something infinitely larger than myself.

People rarely appear in my personal photographs. I choose to leave that space for the viewer. I want you to enter the image, imagining yourself there, feeling as I did when making the photograph, that sense of connection to a vast source of unlimited energy.