Chris Stone's Landscape Photography Will Be Exhibited At Mercy In Action's Hope And Poverty Exhibition This Week!.. Find Out More..
Budding photographer and experienced musician Chris Stone was touched when his landscape inspired images were selected for the Hope and Poverty exhibition, opening this Wednesday in Bristol's The Paintworks. He admits that photographing land and sea scapes is a solitary experience, but tells us how he hopes his images will challenge, provoke and maybe even shock people at Mercy In Action's exhibition.
(PICTURES: 'DELIVERANCE', 'HOPE RISING' - BY KIND PERMISSION OF CHRIS STONE)
Chris, tell us a little about yourself?
I've lived in Bath since leaving university, but grew up in the local area. I'm married to Thérèse and have been a part of Bath City Church for thirty years. Many people know me as a musician but I also photograph landscapes, which is a much more solitary pursuit! As well as the landscapes, my interest is in seascapes, skyscapes and cityscapes - visually, I am inspired both by the coastal features and crisp clear light characteristic of the western fringes of the British Isles, and by the built environment of Bath and the commercial architecture found in the neighbouring city of Bristol.
Your pictures have been selected for the Hope and Poverty exhibition - how did you feel when you found out?
What are your pictures about?
Mercy In Action who work with the poor and disadvantaged in the Philippines. During a mission trip to the island of Mindanao in the south of that country, I was struck by the enormous resilience of the people there, and their ability to put their hope in God despite facing severely challenging circumstances. The photographs which I am exhibiting attempt in a small way to express something of God's rescue from the oppression of poverty and despair, and the release of the Spirit to rise above the earthquake wind and fire, and find freedom.What inspired you to take these images?
A key part of my personal experience is an unfolding relationship with a creative God who inspires me to convey aspects of the spiritual realm through the physical environment, whether that is in sound through music or in the visible scene through photography. Just as the character and temperament of an artist is communicated through his or her work, so the created world declares the strength and glory of the Creator, which I try to express in my photographs. I'm also influenced by my study and work in the field of vision science which has given me an appreciation of the mechanisms of perception and cognition; an awareness which I try to bring into my photography to add impact and meaning to the image at an elemental level.