Structure and space lie at the heart of landscape and architectural imagery, whether it is a mountain range or an industrial complex, a desert, a cityscape or a tin shed. They create constructs of verticals, horizontals and diagonals, of positive and negative relationships, all of which are compounded by the fall of sunlight and unified by shadow.

In construction or demolition, the internal spaces and dynamics of architecture can be laid bare as the building appears or disappears in its environment. The old building by the roadside may quietly subside over time and the more dilapidated it becomes, the more its structures and spaces reveal themselves. Increasingly the interiors and exterior conjoin until such time they become one and there is only the landscape and architectural detritus left. We then gain an understanding of permanence and impermanence, the comparative timelessness of landscape and the ephemeral nature of our lives and the built environment.

However there is no doubt that the world we see is full of tiny relationships, combining to present a sense of “reality” which really delights us. The myriad details and insignificant forms around us are an integral part of the whole, providing us with endless opportunities for observation and reflection.

In the end though, regardless of whatever “reality “or “truth” the image may convey, structure and space are foremost amongst a number of considerations which support the artist’s intention and the true meaning of the image.

Jeff Rigby

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