Chris Byrnes
 artist & photographer

As an artist working in the medium of photography the primal references that underpin my practice are the handmade and the camera obscura. My interest is therefore light and how it manifests itself within a simple low-technology human experience.  This particular project is an exploration of cloth and experimental photography created beneath the backdrop of the COVID-19 viral light.

Listening to statistics on increased numbers of women, children and men seeking support from domestic violence during this pandemic, my research explored the degradation of the photographic image as an art response to these collective issues.  While I do not have a lived experience of domestic violence or significant domestic trauma it is not far away from me and perhaps closer than we think to all of us.  Walking with the Unknown is a simple statement that covers part of my Covid-19 experience. My works will explore these themes through experimental, historical and hand-made images released through a hand-developed photographic base.  I live with the dichotomy of finding beauty in photography while considering such an ugly topic as domestic violence.

Chris Byrnes

2020 / 2021