Filmhouse Cafe, 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh
until 4th January 2009
We've surely all come across a set of old photographs and wondered what was the story behind them. We assume there is a story simply because the photographs exist and perhaps this is a fair assumption.But what if the images within the photographs are staged - contrived to stimulate our imagination? Can we tell the difference? Questions of perception and reality arise. What is 'real'? And if a history is 'faked' or staged does that make it any less real? After all, unless we were there when the picture was taken how can we ever really know what is behind a photo? Appearances are often deceptive and all 'truth' is transient.
Helena Smith's exhibition of photographs from her Mirage Pictures project throw some light as well as shadow on the subject of the 'real and the imagined'. The pictures are stills, publicity shots and a candid behind-the-scenes on-set peak from the lost archive of Mirage Pictures. But the 'set' is constructed not for a movie but for the photograph - for the Mirage project. Mirage Pictures is an imagined film studio and each film depicted is from the artist's imagination.Developed from Helena's work whilst studying at Central Saint Martins College of Art this fascinating photographic project is well worth a visit. Mirage Pictures was previously exhibited at the Curzon in Soho, London last year and is currently on display at the Filmhouse Cafe, Edinburgh until 4th January 2009.
