Jennifer Kirk Hamilton has often pondered the question, “How do we see?” For instance, when birds fly overhead, do you see it all at once, or does your mind fill in the details? Kirk Hamilton challenges the stillness of snap-shot photography which freeze subjects mid-step like a sentence abruptly cut short. 

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ARTIST STATEMENT

The body of work presented in Panovision draws inspiration from Etienne-Jules Marey’s 1882 chronophotographic gun, an instrument capable of recording twelve frames per second onto a single image. Just as Marey once captured a cat’s elegant rotation in midair, Kirk Hamilton employs modern technology to capture the intersection of stillness and movement.

In 2002, the first camera was integrated into handheld phones. But even then, capturing images such as these was all but impossible until the invention of the Pano option on modern iPhones. This and other unique digital tools have opened a vast toy box for the contemporary artist.

Using the iPhone's Pano selection unconventionally, Kirk Hamilton creates a series of uncanny images in one quick snapshot. They capture movement and, for her, depict a story. Some of the images are abstract, like Duchamp’s Nude Descending Staircase, while others are absurd tales of missing body parts or feet refusing to follow. Together the images invite viewers to contemplate perception itself. 

All photos are unaltered snapshots, captured on a Series 13 iPhone.
 

 

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BIO

JENNIFER KIRK HAMILTON

website | jenniferkirkhamilton.com

Instagram | @jenniferkirkhamilton

Facebook | @jennifer.k.hamilton

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Jennifer Kirk Hamilton is a resident studio artist at the Center for Arts in Rock Hill. She is known primarily for her local watercolor paintings and dog art series. For 34 years, she volunteered and trained in art at the world-renowned Springmaid Watermedia Workshops in Myrtle Beach, SC. Her work has been accepted and sold at high-end art fairs from Tampa to Cleveland.

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She returned to school at the age of 66 and graduated in 2020 with a BFA from Winthrop University.