TRACTION PROJECT SPACE

Uneven Graining invites viewers to reimagine the conventional darkroom photographic print —a medium traditionally celebrated for its pristine surfaces, clean edges, and
two-dimensional presentation. This new body of work by photographer George Rayner pushes against these conventions, embracing imperfection and exploring the sculptural potential of photography. In rejecting the rigidity of traditional display, he opens a dialogue between the image, the object, and the environment in which it exists.

Handmade silver gelatin prints have been crafted with an intentional departure from the sterile precision often associated with analogue photography. Dust, marks, bends, and organic irregularities become part of the image’s language, reflecting a raw authenticity that mirrors the subject matter itself. By physically manipulating the paper, bending and collaging it into sculptural forms, the viewer is invited to encounter these prints as objects with depth and texture, echoing the dimensionality of the natural world they depict.

These sculptural prints interact dynamically with their surroundings within the window of Traction Project Space. Reflected light dapples across their surfaces, mirroring the shifting tones found beneath a canopy. As light and humidity fluctuate, the objects subtly change, embodying the living, breathing qualities of nature. Just as trees grow, decay, and adapt to their environments, these works resist stasis. They transform, offering a continually evolving experience for viewers over the duration of the exhibition.