Michael John Whelan
Video Installation
Film
Photography
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Echoes of evaporation
and submergence

1991
And they did live by watchfires
Nocturne
Untitled
Darkness had no need
These last breaths
The time of cruel wonders
was not yet over

In the black dark for good
Carapace
That we were to wait
Like force and matter
Lupus
20 Vertices, 30 Edges
and 160 Diagonals

Dune
Transit of Venus
Over the echoing gateway
Stars/Star
Shadowplay
Archway (diptych)
That we were to wait
2015
unframed chromogenic print
45.5 x 45.5cm
(1/2) Next




This an analogue 20 minute photographic exposure made at night at a beach just outside Dublin city. The artificial lights installed along the beach illuminate the crashing waves of the Irish Sea, creating a surreal colour and glow. They become ephemeral traces of a continuous but momentary action. Within the diffused form of the waves, the shadow of the artist and camera apparatus are visible, representing the position of both unidentified waiting protagonist and the technical witness that allows the physical embodiment of duration to take place. The title originates from Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. The character Estragon questions if he and Vladimir are in the right place to meet Godot.