CATALOG_TOM PORAT - English-for-web

The screens are divided into two main groups. Screens 1–5 display collage-type works referring to different elements of the architectural space that have been cut, disassembled, scattered, connected, and welded by Porat into new objects. Screens 6–10 show fragments of observations, images, reflections, and duplications, while continually moving and transitioning between two and three dimensions; creating an impression of depth and constant, endless movement. The film shown on the first screen is an exception, since it explores the gallery space itself: the five- story concrete wall, the two bridges that cross it, and the pillared gallery. The film references a dynamic space that is free of objects and that transforms before the viewer’s eyes; a space consisting of changing compositions, duplications, and connections. One moment, the space seems large; the next, it becomes small, or even tiny; one moment it is dark, frightening, and shadowy; the next it is light, welcoming, and inviting. One moment it approaches, and the next, it withdraws, disintegrates, and is rebuilt. The camera moves along, probing the space or observing it from the outside. The entire area is presented as a shell into which contents are poured, but that sometimes remains vacant. William Turner, Rain, Steam, and Speed – the Great Western Railway , 1844. ©The National Gallery, London