The Measure is a project based on Robert Creeley’s poem of the same name which I adapted into a science fiction tale of a scientist who becomes consumed by his pursuit to understand the nature of time and the possibility of time travel.
Through a cinematographic approach, the series examines the theme of obsession and the pain of frustration (both in a mental and a physical plane- manifests internally and is reflected externally). I was interested in exploring the clash of a pragmatic mind with an impossible limit, the idea of becoming imprisoned by one’s own ways of reasoning. The images reflect the emotional weight that the character experiences as he searches for questions without answers.
The project’s narrative is divided in three, the character’s POV, his scientific journal, and a glimpse into his experiments. Each material adds onto another, while becoming increasingly erratic as the narration moves into a dramatic crescendo. The end result is a juxtaposition of the character’s inner turmoil with the metaphysical elements that his experiments produce, a visceral trip into madness.
“I cannot
move backward
or forward.
I am caught.
in the time
as measure.
What we think of
we think of—
of no other reason
we think than
justo to think–
each for himself.”
Monty Kaplan is a self taught photographer from Argentina, that is concerned with subjectivity. His work can be interpreted as a subjective anthropological exploration of the world. Of an eclectic nature, Monty is at constant odds between his pragmatism and his sensibility, which often clash and warp his view of life. He believes the construct of our reality is not logical, but emotional and his work is fueled by an interest in defying our ideas of how we perceive this reality. “For me photography is a way of putting into question our own sense of certainty about the world. I’m drawn to mundane scenes because by their own banal, simple essence, they serve as the perfect blank canvas onto which is possible to impose a new interpretation and therefore arrive at a new meaning. I shoot as a documenter but I think and work as a painter in my post process, exploring the possibilities of the image, i look to abstract, to reconfigure. I want the viewer to get as close as possible to experience the world through my eyes.”
Copyright © Monty Kaplan, all rights reserved
