Operating in the grey area between documentary and fiction, history and myth, honesty and artifice, my work is born out of a desire to better understand myself and others. I consider my role as an artist to challenge many of the assumptions we make about the world in which we live and highlight the artificial and arbitrary nature of much of what we unquestioningly assume to be “natural” phenomena. While my practice ultimately results in the creation of photographic or moving images, it is not so much photography itself which inspires me, but rather projects are sparked by readings in psychology, philosophy and cognitive science; photography is merely the idiom in which I am most comfortable engaging in such a dialogue.
Skeptical from day-one of photography’s claim to accurately represent external reality, and in any case more interested in harnessing the medium’s abilities to express that which cannot so easily be put into words, I have come to think of my way of working as “Internal Reportage”, or, to hijack linguist George Lakoff’s term, “Experiential Realism”. I frequently employ techniques of social investigation acquired whilst studying Social Anthropology, and although issues explored in my work are invariably selected for deeply personal reasons, wherever possible I involve the subjects of a project in the creative process itself. The opportunity for human interaction and cross-cultural exchange provided by this method of working is of equal value to me as any material ‘end product’ which may arise from the activity.
Silence Has An Echo is a work about loss, regret, unsaid words, and the feeling of confusion and impotence we often experience as ordinary individuals in the face of the economic and political powers responsible for shaping the course of our lives.
The series came about as a reaction to my experiences living in Bangkok during a period of intense political and social unrest. While the underlying issues behind Thailand’s current political problems are complex, longstanding and deeply ingrained, over the last few years these divisions have risen much closer to the surface and Thai society has become considerably more fractured.
Following Athens Photo Festival, Silence Has An Echo will be exhibited at the gallery Christinger De Mayo, Zurich, Switzerland, from 17th November – 15 December.
Nigel Bennet (B. 1975) UK/USA.
Silence has an echo
October 19 – November 4, 2012
“Technopolis“ of the City of Athens
Pireos 100, Gazi
Athens, Greece
Hours: Monday-Friday 17:00-22:00, Saturday-Sunday 12:00-22:00
