Paul Bevan / In superposition

In superposition brings together a number of ideas on photography, performance and observation.  The term ‘superposition’ describes an object when it’s status is unknown and all possible positions coexist. This potential of multiple states collapses into a single state at the point the object is detected or observed, much like in the decisive moment of a photograph.

In this installation, Paul Bevan explores the notion of the body as an object/ image in superposition.  Referencing the double-slit experiment used to observe light as both wave and particle, Bevan projects a series of photographic images through a double-slit structure of himself standing at the water’s edge on locations in Fäboda (Finland) and Coney Island (New York).
Not only does each image represent a notional collapse of his own superposition in time and place as a performed event for the camera, but a further collapse of this status occurs in the moment each image is viewed by an observer.

In this act of observation, the notional superposition of the viewer also collapses into the present moment:their actual presence is detected by a devise that projects a new image from the series and they also physically impact on the light projection itself. In this way, the piece attempts to create a unified experience between artist and observer of a momentary collapse in superposition.