Appearance: Photograph, Chronology and Artist’s eye view
Thavi Chotpradit
Prateep Suthathongthai, an emerging Thai photographer, employs himself in creating photographic images and process of photography.
His artworks are a dynamic process ofcollaboration between his photographs and viewers’ eye view. As viewers, gazing at his photographs,
we are always in silent wonder and question that how those works created. It seems they were repeatedly shot so that those outcomes
appeared. Some said that photo shoot is the way of stopping time, but Prateep’s works show a periodical subject. A piece of his photograph
probably means a hundred of photo shoot. He concerns on more the process of photography than the photographic outcome.
However, to present the total process of recording pictures, necessaries of concreteness are needed. For the exhibition of “Appearance”,
he decides to use 35mm color slide film instead of photograph.
Film is a material that can show an entire process of photography very well as it is a part of process before the result (photograph) produced.
Any doing before film developed was a happening after photographer had pressed the shutter button for recording pictures. Photograph is
then the final outcome which is probably totally different from the original. Additionally, computer graphic now becomes a major part of managing
pictures. In term of presenting a process of recording pictures, film is a proper medium as itself.
Sheets of film fitted together by Prateep himself give viewers his consecutive eye view. Perhaps, architecture is the best topic for his
chronological presentation as stillness of its object. The movement shown is made by two different techniques; firstly, he slightly moves himself
from one position to another position and secondly, he takes a picture in sequence; from the left to the right, from the bottom to the top and 360
degree.The distortion of perspective and proportion are visible as the result of those. From his techniques, photograph is not a record of the truth
as it actually is, but it becomes a record of the reality creation which is formed and controlled.
For the size of artworks, small piece of art creates an impact to viewers’ perception in different way that the gigantic one do. Beholders are
often mesmerized by the large piece of art because of its large dramatic statement. However, smaller piece gives a dissimilar impact as viewers
will get closer to the piece, stop in front of it and then search for details embedded in picture. Not only a tiny piece was entirely captured in their
eyes, but they are also attracted to its approachable appeal so it means they have to take time for discovering its communication. Moreover,
figure captured by Prateep is also about a small element. His process of re-perception on the existent is shown as; a selection of architectural
angle; a ladder, a corner of Wat Pho’s structure, a base of pagoda, and a marble floor. Those are details usually overlooked, but he picks and
emphasizes them by his repetitious shoots along with his gentle moves. Each sheet of film fitted together so that the total pictures finally give
a dramatic impact and rare view of the reality. Some photos are like a pattern of something’s part but when we carefully observe it, what actually
discovered is a part of architecture.
The intended communication of photograph is artist’s angle. When we see various photos of temple through his view, we also see what
in front of him is. Photograph is not objectivity, but it is subjectivity of photographer. Especially, an intended communication in his photograph is
a different angle of hundred shoots on an only figure. It coveys that all things uncertain is like we think, but it changed by the way we perceive it.
To present the process of photography relating to “Chronology”, his appeared photographs show the periodical subject as they can draw viewers’
imagination to think about his repetitious shoots along with his slight moves. A sequence of sheets of film shows the period of time which is the
past of the reality. The collaboration between chronology, the move of artist, the unique process of photography, and the communicated pictures
are an appearance of subjects through his eye view which is about what he wants to see and wants it be.
The exhibition of photography “Appearance” by Prateep Suthathongthai is taken place at I Gallery LAB from 14-26 September 2006.
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