Different histories of light

Exhibition of a series of 8 large-scale night photographs 80 x 120 cm, in conjunction with a series of 21 oil paintings, ranging in size from 66 x 86cm to 116.5 x 160cm that collectively examined the medieval concept of light in its two distinct forms, Lumen and Lux. The early Christians believed that Lux represented the pure light of God that would illuminate Heaven but we were not privileged to see. Instead, our world is lit by Lumen, the reflected light of God. The photographs, ''umen', are landscapes lit by the reflected light from the full moon, and the foreground includes elements of human activity, set against a sky of trailing stars. The colour of the starlight is an indication of the time it has taken for the light to reach us; therefore the array of stellar light describes layers of time. By contrast, the series of paintings entitled 'Lux' are quiet and intense studies of the division of sky and sea, (air and water: the elemental basis of life) diffused with light. The camera captures the image of the external world, but the paintings record a thoughtful reflection on existence through the filter of aesthetic refinement. Portfolio, the premier magazine that surveys contemporary fine art photography in the UK, invited Braham to contribute a portfolio of four prints from the ongoing series 'Different Histories of Light'. 4 pages with one full colour reproduction per page, p. 30 – 33 inclusive. Evidence: CDRom and porfolio of supporting evidence