This work is typical of Paul Knight’s practice, which focuses largely on intimacy and the physical aspect of relationships. The image is part of a series of photographs showing couples in sexual embraces from an aerial perspective. Each couple was photographed in the same way: they were photographed on the same bed, over which the photographer had installed an apparatus to hold the camera and himself. The titles of the works in this series refer to the duration of each couple’s relationship. Knight used this analytical approach along with stark lighting techniques in order to reinforce the documentary nature of his project, eliminating suggestions of sentimentality, romance and pornography. His aerial perspective allowed him to exploit the camera’s way of seeing, taking advantage of its ability to compress the picture plain, confusing and disorienting viewers as they peer into moments of intimacy.
(2020)
Chromogenic prints are printed on paper that has at least three emulsion layers containing invisible dyes and silver salts. Each emulsion layer is sensitive to a different primary colour of light (red, green or blue). The development process converts the hidden dyes to visible colour depending on the amount of light it was exposed to. This type of paper is commonly used to print from colour negatives or digital files to produce a full-colour image. It can also be used to print black-and-white images, giving softer grain and less contrast than gelatin silver prints. Commonly known as c-type prints, chromogenic processing was developed in the 1940s and widely used for colour printing, including for domestic snapshots. While recent years have seen this process accompanied by ink-jet and digital printing technologies, chromogenic printing still remains in use to this day.
