BILL ARMSTRONG - LIGHT FORM

HackelBury is pleased to present Light Form, a solo exhibition by Bill Armstrong which explores visual perception and the transformative power of image making to create meditative photographic artworks.

Renowned for his iconic Infinity series, Armstrong intentionally blurs photographs by adjusting the camera’s focusing ring to infinity, creating ethereal and dreamlike images. Light Form further explores his fascination with impermanence and abstraction, pushing the boundaries of his medium to create otherworldly compositions which encourage viewers to contemplate their own reality.

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“Extreme de-focusing enables me to blend and distil hues, creating rhapsodies of colour that are meditative pieces—glimpses into a space of pure colour, beyond our focus, beyond our ken.“

The exhibition includes abstract works from Armstrong’s Mandalas, Blue Spheres, and Darshan series, which reference Eastern philosophy and spirituality.

Armstrong is deeply interested in the viewer’s emotional response to imagery, shape, and colour, aiming to disrupt and transform their experience and expectations.

“The nature of visual perception intrigues me: how the eye continually tries to resolve these images, but is unable to do so, and how that is unsettling.“

Blue Spheres explores the universal significance of the circle and the mystical possibilities of the colour blue, whilst Darshan delves into spiritual themes in Eastern thought, referencing the square as a sacred object and its symbolism. The four sides of the square correspond to the four elements (earth, water, wind, and fire), the four seasons, and the four cardinal directions. The Mandala series continues the interest in meditation and its central role in Buddhist spirituality.

"I am drawn to the idea that we can believe something is real, while at the same time knowing it is illusory, and the experience of visual confusion, when the psyche is momentarily derailed, can free us to respond emotionally. “

This exhibition encourages us to reflect on the universality of human experience - our mortality and the impermanence of life.

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