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Kevin Newark: Nephology

The vapour trail, or ‘contrail’, is a modern cloud with a destination in mind—yet the delicate structure of this condensed mass means its arrival is permanently postponed.

Formed by vapour from the exhaust of a jet engine as it condenses in the very low temperatures encountered above thirty thousand feet, a contrail is like the antithesis of a still photograph: a kind of de-compression of time as it reaches across the spatial void, repeating its structure with manufactured precision. The blurred stream of vapour and ice is reminiscent of the photographic effect achieved by a long exposure with camera fixed to a sturdy tripod; a familiar conceit of the photographer, yet the trail achieves this impression by appearing to cheat time rather than through the exercise of photographic trickery. Time itself is condensed as the camera shutter distils several minutes into what is usually just a fraction of a second, only to de-compress in a photographic print that traces progress rather than the congealed instant.

Nephology has been commissioned by Pavilion as part of the Pavilion Commissions Programme 2008.

Related Link: Pavilion Online Gallery

Audio Download: Artist Interview | Transcript Download: (PDF 43KB)

Nephology. Number 1, 2008