River

River is a permanent moving image video installation at The Eolas Building , Maynooth University of Ireland. It consists of river shot in extreme slow motion, where every droplet is visible, and moves dramatically across the three LCD synchronized screens. It was commissioned alongside Waterfall

They create a sense of tranquillity in the spaces they inhabit, as well as depicting the power and drama of this natural resource of water. It is a counterpoint to the technological focus of the building, bringing technology and nature together in order to create a point of balance. As well as slowing down the pace of the fast moving campus, the movement of water also represents the constant movement forward of life, and of the university. As well as the calming and cantering effects of nature, it also references the effects on the subconscious tapping into the centre of our creativity.

In both pieces the pace of the water appears slowed down in the photographic and filming process, creating pieces that initially resemble reality, but create an illusion of time and perception. The slowed down effect makes what we see as a perceived image into something that is both visually and subconsciously arresting. It is capturing something that the eye cannot see in ‘real time’. Given the stylistic quality of the photography in Waterfall and the filming in River, they also resemble ‘moving’ paintings.

2015
Commission for permanent artwork at NUI Maynooth

Camera: Séamus Connolly
Editing: Clare Langan
Phantom Camera Company: John Murray at CTL Films
Postproduction: EMC Post
Screens: Eidotech, Germany
Thanks to: David Carr, Alison Fitzgerald, Finbarr Horrigan, Catherine Marshall, Mark Mc Loughlin