Humans are essentially pattern-oriented creatures; we thrive on repetition and consistency. Photographer Abby Storey explores the concepts of reverence, ritual and routine through the media of hand printed black and white photographic images.

Humans are essentially pattern-oriented creatures; we thrive on repetition and consistency. Photographer Abby Storey explores the concepts of reverence, ritual and routine through the media of hand printed black and white photographic images.

We all harbour feelings of reverence of some kind, however the objects of this veneration reflect the diversity inherent in human experience. A prevalent outlet for this reverence is in ritual. 'A ritual can be defined as any activity that we perform at least as much for its symbolic and emotional value as for its practical value. We perform a ritual because the act in itself has meaning, or because doing it make us feel better about ourselves, or both.'*

Rituals are usually routines, but not all routines are rituals, the difference lying in the realms of awareness and assent. Many traditional rituals are extremely public gestures, however the boundary between ritual and routine is so subjective as to be truly known only to the individual performer. Throughout human culture these rhythmic repetitions can be plentifully found on both the secular and spiritual planes.

Controlled repetition is a mainstay of nearly all artistic media, be it visual, literal or of course musical, be it ritual or routine.

Traditional still photography conveys messages from a moment frozen forever in time. The photographer chooses that moment and controls the subsequent treatment of the image, right up to the presentation to the viewer. The moment the viewers gaze rests on the image it becomes theirs to interpret, the significance and meaning the image contains draws on their experiences and comprehension. As a photographer I do not seek to control the experience of others but to put forward my experiences in a form accessible to all.

November 8th - 20th
Preview Sunday 7th November 4 - 6 pm
SPIRAL GALLERY
260 Queen Street, (above McDonalds)
Auckland Central
11 - 5 Mon - Sat (09) 303 3662 www.spiralgallery.co.nz