Templeton Station: Re-Establishing Shot
Re-Establishing Shot is a montage of photodocumentation from multiple large-scale photographs composed of urban landscapes, including Seoul, Vancouver, Busan, and Tokyo. The artwork holds photo fragments from various places, perspectives, and narratives, assembled together as one. However, upon closer inspection, the images do not contain a fluid visual continuity but rather end abruptly, causing an optical break.
This large-scale image draws the viewer in with its unusual perspective of an assembled urban landscape; yet it does not provide clues to a specific location, leaving the viewer curious as to which city they are engaging with. All features suggesting recognition with a place in this documentation have intentionally been removed by the artist. What remains are superficial surfaces. Being devoid of the city’s historic and social significances removes individual memory, recollection, and personal story.
The urban landscape in Re-Establishing Shot cannot be located, and this transient encounter leads to a floating narrative. Without any historic and social context, the urban setting loses its distinction and becomes generalized. During his residency at the Vancouver Biennale, Seung Woo Back documented the industrial landscape of this city, as part of a developing global narrative of the generalizing trend of popular culture, in which differences, distinctions, and tastes are vanishing.
Presented by Vancouver Biennale in partnership with Capture Photography Festival. Capture gratefully acknowledges the support of the British Columbia Arts Council.
