From April 17th, the Centrespace at Dundee Contemporary Arts will feature ‘12d‘; an installation by filmmaker Chris Gerrard.  The work combines common household items with filmed and painted images to provide an experience of many worlds, the freedom of film and multiple facets of the human mind.

Chris Gerrard started to explore the practice of multi-layered filmmaking and the integration between painting and digital media during his MFA in Arts & Humanities at Duncan of Jordanstone. Now, as he undertakes his PhD, Chris’ work takes a deeper look into the history and practice of this technique.

Layered Themes

The different layers and mediums in this piece make a larger thematic point; they reflect the different types of creative energy, the subjective view of the human mind, the physics-based many worlds theory and a consideration of the ideas of choice, all at once. The main focus of the exhibition is to match complex layered themes with parallel artistic form.

The Magician by Chris Gerrard

Chris explains: “Generally film attempts to tackle complex themes by making them simple. The thought is that difficult ideas need to be broken down so they become palatable. I don’t agree. I think a lot is lost by this process. These ideas need work that reflects their complexity. I use multiple mediums and composite images to glorifying the intricate and difficult nature of the world, whether it be in art, physics or the human mind. 12d takes the most ordinary setting, a sofa, living room and table, and uncovers the hidden subjective universe, allowing it to be read in many ways, be a portal to many worlds and inspire many completely difficult reactions.”

The exhibition opens on April 17th (6-8pm) at the Dundee Contemporary Arts, it will be open from the 18th-27th; 10am-4.30pm weekdays and 12-4pm on Saturday (closed on Sunday). You can find out more about Chris’ work you can visit his website.

While you are here, why not watch Adam Morrow’s Pecha Kucha talk on innovative filmmaking practices and interactive cinema?