fieldnotes for useful light

A photographic exhibition by tamara suarez porras in collaboration with the Prelinger Library

**tamara suarez porras. Untitled, 2018. Archival Pigment Print.**

Embark Gallery is pleased to present the work of tamara suarez porras as our second annual rendition of R&D Projects, a series of research-intensive postgraduate fellowships and summer solo exhibitions. This exhibition is a poetic photographic exploration of the Prelinger Library, an independent research library in San Francisco featuring image-rich historical ephemera from the 19th and 20th centuries.

What began as an investigation into photometry (the science of the measurement of light, in terms of its perceived brightness to the human eye) evolves towards something less tangible - a meditation on light as a signifier for time and space. In porras’ work, the light in the Prelinger Library becomes a metaphor for discovery. Like the revelations of research, the secret shadows of the Library unfolded sporadically, organically, and with serendipity, and became for the artist as fruitful for artistic consideration as the texts themselves.

Porras’ photographs are an archive of the ephemeral. The collection presents alternative ways in which to understand concrete truths, quantifying the affective qualities of light through captured moments, while reveling in their transitory nature. The works by porras will be accompanied by an ambient 2-channel sound installation by Portland artist Sei Harris, which considers the ways in which subtle shifts in sound, like light, can transform perception.

In tandem with the exhibition at Embark Gallery, porras will be presenting an evening of performance at the Prelinger Library alongside other West Coast artists Sei Harris, Pauline Gloss, and Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai. Offerings will range from experimental electronic music, literary sound art, performative lecture to recontextualized archives. June 14, 2018 at 7PM. 301 8th St #215, San Francisco, CA 94103.

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Press Previews by appointment.

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 16, 2018, 5-8PM.

Hours: 1–6pm every Thursday-Saturday from June 16 - July 14, 2018.

Media Contact: Angelica Jardini | Curatorial Director | info@embarkgallery.com

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