Still Film of an Oak Tree near Sudbury

About Noel Myles

Wall Object “Oak No 1” represents the remarkable evolution of Noel Myles’ distinctive photo collages. The protruding sections lend the image a physical presence: It emerges into the room. By juxtaposing black & white and colour… Read more

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Wall Object

“Oak No 1” represents the remarkable evolution of Noel Myles’ distinctive photo collages. The protruding sections lend the image a physical presence: It emerges into the room. By juxtaposing black & white and colour shots taken at different times of the year, the artist produces a symbolic circle of life. The dynamic energy of the mosaic is accentuated through its three-dimensional appearance. The multi-layered work becomes an artistic entanglement of different elements of time and space, “tangible” in every sense of the word.

Multiple Art Trees

The mind is not a camera. And the still life trees created in large-format by British artist Noel Myles do not capture moments or, at least, should not be seen to. While they consist of a large number of smaller photographs, these photographs are brought together to create one overall image Myles, who actually trained as an illustrator and painter, creates his collages using classic analogue photography, but contrasts the traditional single perspective of a photograph with the multiple perspectives created by the collage. What we see is a tree, a tree comprised of multiple close-ups, taken over a number of seasons. Individual details are photographed from below, from the side, from up close, and from a distance. This technique allows Myles to revolutionise the fleeting moment of perception captured by classical photography into a more comprehensive impression of time and space. The result is that we, the observer, are forced ask ourselves certain questions. What is nature? What does a tree really mean to us? It is not just a structure that has grown organically, in which every detail stands in relation to the whole, but also an experience of the senses. Just like Myles’s images themselves. The difference is that he uses only photography – a medium of instant impressions – to create this immersion of the senses.

Stephan Reisner

VITA

1947 Born in London, United Kingdom
1966-1970 Bachelor of Fine Art in Painting, London, United Kingdom
1989-1992 Main project, les forêts du Limousin, 12 000 photographs are taken to make a series of 16 panoramic collages
1998 Research on platinum processes, East University of London, United Kingdom
Lives and works in London, United Kingdom

Exhibitions

Single Exhibitions
2003 Stephanie Hoppen Gallery, London, United Kingdom

2001 Zelda Cheatle Gallery, London, United Kingdom

1999 L'Oeil Ecoute, Limoges, Frankreich

Gainsborough´s House,Sudbury, Suffolk, United Kingdom

1995 The Gallery in Cork Street, London, United Kingdom

L'Oeil Ecoute, Limoges, Frankreich

1989 Hamilton's Gallery, London, United Kingdom

1986 National Portrait Gallery, London, United Kingdom

1979 House Gallery, London, United Kingdom

1977 House Gallery, London, United Kingdom

Group Exhibitions
2009 V&A History of Photography Exhibition, London, United Kingdom

2008 Exhibition at Curwen Studios, Clare Hall, Cambridge, United Kingdom

2003 Contemporary Art Society, Artfutures Exhibition, London, United Kingdom

2000 Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition Printworks, London, United Kingdom

1998 Photocollages, L'Oeil Ecoute, Limoges, France

1997 Photocollages: La Maison du Limousin, Paris, France

Cyanotypes : Andokides Windows, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1995 2 Cyanotypes: 18th International Print Exhibition, Kanagawa, Japan

1993 La Chapelle Montbrandeix, Limousin, France

6th Solignac Rencontres, Limousin, France

1992 Royal Photographic Society Bath, French Forest Collages, Bath, United Kingdom

1987 Premio Internazionale Biella, Biella, Italy

1984 London Group, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom