I Was There

Gordon Nye

An artfully pixellated and blurred street scene where a prominent, brightly glowing white outline of a person stands alone in the middle of the road. The background shows abstract shapes of houses on the left, fall trees with hints of yellow and red foliage along the curbs, and a line of pixellated parked cars on the right, creating an ethereal and mysterious atmosphere.

What makes a place feel familiar? In the age of the Internet, culture has become so image-saturated that one can feel as though they have been somewhere that they have not, or develop a reminiscence for a moment they did not live through. Nostalgia is coded to us through images and media, socially conditioning one to attach memories and emotions to familiarubiquitous environments that they have never physically set foot in. This project examines the relationship between person and place through the lens of vicarious experience, considering the human subject as a digital avatar — an extension of a real-life individual capable of occupying a space without physically being there. One may or may not have ever set foot in any of the sites where these photographs were taken, but in viewing them, they are there.

    About The Artist

    The word 'Inhale' in bold white letters is centered at the top of the image, above the word 'Exhale,' which features a visual effect of fading transparency from white to near-invisible. Both words are set on a gradient background that transitions from a dark, muted blue-grey at the top to a light, airy blue-white at the bottom, with a consistent fine grainy texture throughout.

    Gordon Nye

    Gordon Nye is a conceptual and commercial photographer with a particular interest in abstraction and alternative processes. Finding inspiration in identity, perception, and the everyday, his work ranges from colourful studio portraits to conceptual works that investigate the human condition. He also has an affinity for graphic design, which he has been developing in tandem with his photographic practice since high school.

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