My work uses neon light to map peoples’ stories, histories and lives. Using a technique of long-exposure photography, I capture the persons’ movements on camera using lights attached to them. The resulting images of distorted, staccato beams of light moving through space are then translated into unique, site-specific neon installations. The movement of my camera allows for a form of accidental drawing with lines of light. I then deconstruct and visualize these lines in three-dimensions using neon tubes. The resulting light installations are a minimal, luminous sculptural record of the gestures of the person or object – the fleeting movements of their movements in space. Neon is thought of as a brash, urban medium – used for signage – but I utilize its quieter, more poetic luminosities. I calibrate its radiation to create a subtle reflective mood, inviting the viewer to peer into previously unseen patterns and glimpse transitory moments of time.
Kevin Killen | Downpatrick/UK
| Kevin Killen | Artificial Sunshine | 2017 | National Trust Argory, Dungannon/UK | 1.3m x 4m | Neon | Photo: Simon Mills |