Luke Holland
The Scots College
THE DIVIDE
Time-Based Forms
Film
My body of work examines the dichotomy between the ocean’s serene beauty and urban life’s relentless chaos. It contrasts the sublime and timeless ocean – which fosters connection, tranquillity and a profound sense of unity – with the city, its ceaseless hustle cutting people off from the natural world. My intention was for the city to represent disconnection and the oppressive passage of time. The title, The Divide, expresses how the divorce of my parents forced my separation from the ocean, which is my passion, plunging me into the chaotic energy of city life, where the overwhelming pace and disarray consumed me.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Anton Gorlin, Aquabumps (Eugene Tan, ::Uge)
Marker's Commentary
The Divide is a time-based film that explores personal histories and the dichotomy between nature and urban, city and sea, past and future. This highly sophisticated work takes the audience on a visually rich journey across Sydney’s landmarks, using a range of cinematographic techniques, including time-lapse, drone, underwater and real-time recording. The use of saturated colours - vivid blues and greens of the ocean, burnt yellows and oranges of the smog-tinged city skyline - reveals the divide between the contrasting sites. The work’s soundtrack amplifies the feelings of an anonymous hooded figure, who appears within these two worlds. The rapid-fire editing reinforces the pace of the city against the languid clips of the ocean that reveal themselves slowly. This is a body of work addressing many concerns evident throughout contemporary worlds in a state of change, and that is in complete command of this medium.