Layer by layer

Through layered photographic experimentations, Nils manipulates the photographic image - using a combination of movement, masks and multiple exposures. Layer by layer at Island Darkroom is the first public presentation of new work resulting from his research into this combination of methodologies.

Nils’ images distill his experiences of moving through the landscape and explore the effects of time, movement and light. They depict patterns, textures, and shapes which point to isolated places that may be impossible to locate.

Movement of the pinhole camera, the photographic film and elements of the landscape are in a complex interplay during exposures of up to several minutes. By sampling colour and patterns of light rather than form, Nils invites the viewer to find their bearings, bringing their own experiences and memories of place to the images.

Masks placed in front of the pinhole camera allow Nils to build images on photographic film over several exposures. Working with masks in this way is made possible by the infinite depth of field of a pinhole camera. This means that everything in front of the camera is in focus (in contrast to a camera with a glass lens where nearby objects may be in focus whilst distant objects are not).

Using this method of masking in combination with camera movement Nils exposes layers of light/colour onto photographic film - an approach analogous to a printmaker applying layers of ink to paper.

Plastic waste accumulates in layers on the coastlines of the west of Scotland, discarded objects brought ashore by Atlantic storms. The ubiquity of plastic means that it is both literally and visually inseparable from the landscape. Nils often uses these found objects alongside natural and living materials as sources of colour in his work. The resulting images sit somewhere between photography and printmaking and depict neither the object, nor the landscape but instead address the way in which one becomes the other.

Island Darkroom, Achmore, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9DU,