logologologologo
  • Photographic
    • The ‘Self’ & The ‘Other’
    • Gwen – ‘Did I want to be here?’
    • Self-i
    • Drive By
    • In The Mist
    • Walk In The Woods
    • Pear
  • Multimedia & Installations
    • Self Portrait/ There’s Someone in My Head…
    • Continuous Cycle
    • Various
  • Tuition
  • News
  • shop
  • About
    • About Ian
    • Exhibitions
    • Statement
  • Contact
  • Photographic
    • The ‘Self’ & The ‘Other’
    • Gwen – ‘Did I want to be here?’
    • Self-i
    • Drive By
    • In The Mist
    • Walk In The Woods
    • Pear
  • Multimedia & Installations
    • Self Portrait/ There’s Someone in My Head…
    • Continuous Cycle
    • Various
  • Tuition
  • News
  • shop
  • About
    • About Ian
    • Exhibitions
    • Statement
  • Contact

About

contemporary art photography artist
Ian Phillips McLaren (b. 1960) is a British contemporary artist, his varied practice combines contemporary and 19th century photographic processes, video, sculpture, performance and animation.

His body of work examines dementia as a state of being, memory, personal identity and the construction of self in our visual culture, portraiture and self-representation.

Ian’s current work, The ‘Self’ & The ‘Other’ is an exploration of the ‘Self’ through the lens of ancient Roman portraiture – The ‘Other’ referring to the ways in which identities are formed.

“By combining traditional 5×4 inch analogue paper negatives of my self with hybrid digital negatives of ancient Roman portraits and fragments, I’m re-imagining the historical self-portrait, in a similar vein to how the Romans re-imagined (Hellenistic) Greek art for their own purposes”.

Recent Posts

  • RPS Series of talks, from featured artists November 2, 2022
  • A Special One-Off Afternoon Talk October 12, 2022
  • Gwen, Final Analysis by Zelda Cheatle October 6, 2022
  • Squaring The Circles of Confusion August 24, 2022
  • Venice Experimental Video And Performing Art Festival April 23, 2022
  • Salt Printing Masterclass at London Metropolitan University March 30, 2022

Categories

Products

  • Pen yr Allt Uchaf fine art print
    Pen yr Allt Uchaf 01

    £75.00 – £650.00

  • Dahlia fine art photograph print for sale
    Dahlia 1

    £75.00 – £850.00

  • In The Mist 05 - beutiful misty foggy tree scape landscape
    In The Mist 03

    £75.00 – £850.00

  • fine art pear
    Pear 1

    £75.00 – £850.00

  • Drive By 01
    Drive By 01

    £75.00 – £1,100.00

© 2023 — Ian Phillips McLaren

Gwen - "Did I Want To Be Here"

Ian’s portrait of Gwen (his mother-in-law) is an intimate study on the effects of dementia on a once strong, sharp woman, where softening memories have started to disintegrate, often hidden in layers within layers, where time is becoming increasingly meaningless and fragmented.

Faded, fragmented memories and mixed up ragged timelines are typical of someone with dementia.

“Did I Want To Be Here?” were the last coherent words that Gwen uttered to Ian as he helped her from the car to his house. “Where am I?” asked Gwen. “You’re at Gail and Ian’s for lunch Gwen” he replied. “Did I want to be here” asked Gwen.

“I chose to print the cyanotype’s (blue images) of Gwen on Japanese paper for its unique qualities. When you look at and touch this paper you immediately notice it’s fine, soft, wrinkled, aged skin like quality, it is strong to touch and feel and looks as if it is engrained with worries past and present, when it is hung up to dry the paper becomes fragile, translucent, ragged and disintegrates under its own weight, like Gwen is crumbling under the pressure and fragmentation of her own identity”.

Fine art prints
Most of the images on this website can be purchased as a fine art prints. Email me for details, if you can’t find your image in the shop.

Gwen did I want to be here RPS exhibition gum bichromate gum print Alzheimers dementia
Gwen did i want to be here - dementia alzheimers disease
art exploring dementia cyanotype print Alzheimers dementia
Gwen layers fine art prints original dementia Alzheimer’s
Alzheimers demantia art artist work cyanotype print
cyanotype prints portrait dementia art artist
Contemporary portrait photographer
Gwen Did I want to be here, portrait, gum bicromate print

Technical information for the 16 panel full colour image above;

Gwen’s portrait was originally taken on a digital camera then interpolated in photoshop from 18” to 5’6” (45.5cm to 167.5cm) and cropped into 16 individual A3 segments; each segment was then converted to Cyan, Magenta and Yellow separation negatives and printed onto OHP Transparency sheets in preparation for the final gum prints. Three negatives were needed to print each of the 16 A3 segments. Overall a total of 48 negatives were used to print this large 5’6” tri-colour gum print of Gwen.

The print was a true labour of love and took seven months to make, with only one two week break during the whole of the seven months.

links to Alzheimers and Demetia groups.

What is dementia

Dementia uk .org

Alzheimers .org

Dementia Matters .net

Alzheimers research