Echoes of Depth

About

This display in the Artist in Residence studio showcases the diverse and innovative works of Emma Brown, Drucilla Burrell, Lauren Thompson, and Rebecca Sharpe. 

Each artist brings a unique perspective to the exhibition, reflecting on the Victorian fascination with photography, depth, perception, and three-dimensionality through their contemporary practices. From the haunting beauty of wet plate collodion photography to the immersive experiences of digital video installations, photography, AI and stereoscopy the exhibition offers a multifaceted exploration of how historical inspirations inform and enrich modern artistic expression.

Emma Brown explores the connection between the human spirit and the elemental essence of the landscapes she captures. With her meticulous attention to detail and the unique aesthetic offered by the wet plate collodion process her evocative work transports viewers through time, bridging the past and the present, while also shedding light on the ever-changing relationship between humans and their environment. During her time as resident artist Emma worked on A Portrait of Watts, taking around 80 wet plate collodion portraits of staff and volunteers that make up the Watts community.

Drucilla Burrell is a photographer and Creative Director. Her photographic practice is rooted in the study of traditional Classical techniques and their implementation and dissemination via digital technology. Through Queering and digitising, her work challenges the hierarchies and displays of power embedded in this form of recording and memorialising. It queries the narratives inherent in the display and creation of art, and interrogates the currency of analog art forms in an algorithmic digital future. As resident artist Drucilla researched and created works using a blend of photography AI and digital painting.

Lauren Thompson's works to make the invisible qualities of the mind and soul visible through photographic self-portraits taken through an expressionist lens. Her work deals with mental health, the subconscious and multiplicity. As resident artist at the Watts Gallery Artists’ Village Lauren became interested in a Victorian theatrical illusion technique known as Pepper’s Ghost, creating her own digital installation and video piece.

Rebecca Sharpe has been co-curator at the Brian Archive of Stereoscopy for over five years, and is currently studying to become a registered archivist. She is a passionate stereoscopic photographer, photo historian and researcher, as well as the founder of The Stereoscopy Blog. Rebecca has developed a method of creating stereoscopic images using the cyanotype print process.