Observer & Observed No. 12
Photograph
1992 (made)
1992 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Susan Derges (born Britain, 1955) trained as a painter and is concerned with the creative interface between art and science. A period of living and studying in Japan led Derges to adopt photography as her principal means of expression. Her images are often formed as photograms directly onto positive photographic paper.
'Observer & Observed' is created by vibrating a jet of water and photographing this with a strobe light. The jet of water is recorded as droplets, each acting as a lens, capturing a distorted image of Derges' face, positioned behind the water jet.
The gelatin-silver process, developed in the 1870s, is the most common means of making black and white prints from negatives. The prints are made on papers coated with a layer of gelatin containing light sensitive silver salts. By 1895 gelatin-silver prints had generally replaced albumen prints because they were more stable, did not turn yellow and were simpler to produce.
'Observer & Observed' is created by vibrating a jet of water and photographing this with a strobe light. The jet of water is recorded as droplets, each acting as a lens, capturing a distorted image of Derges' face, positioned behind the water jet.
The gelatin-silver process, developed in the 1870s, is the most common means of making black and white prints from negatives. The prints are made on papers coated with a layer of gelatin containing light sensitive silver salts. By 1895 gelatin-silver prints had generally replaced albumen prints because they were more stable, did not turn yellow and were simpler to produce.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Observer & Observed No. 12 (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Gelatin-silver print |
| Brief description | Derges, Susan. 'Observer & Observed', 1991. Gelatin-silver print |
| Physical description | Self portrait by Susan Derges. Derges is visible yet out of focus in the background of the photograph. Her image is captured in multiple in the droplets of water that have been shot into the air. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Copy number | No. 2 of 3 |
| Marks and inscriptions | E 2/3 (English; On reverse; handwriting; ink) |
| Credit line | Given by Michael Hue-Williams and Susan Derges |
| Object history | Photograph taken by Susan Derges |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Susan Derges (born Britain, 1955) trained as a painter and is concerned with the creative interface between art and science. A period of living and studying in Japan led Derges to adopt photography as her principal means of expression. Her images are often formed as photograms directly onto positive photographic paper. 'Observer & Observed' is created by vibrating a jet of water and photographing this with a strobe light. The jet of water is recorded as droplets, each acting as a lens, capturing a distorted image of Derges' face, positioned behind the water jet. The gelatin-silver process, developed in the 1870s, is the most common means of making black and white prints from negatives. The prints are made on papers coated with a layer of gelatin containing light sensitive silver salts. By 1895 gelatin-silver prints had generally replaced albumen prints because they were more stable, did not turn yellow and were simpler to produce. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.499-1998 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | September 15, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
