PHOTOTEXTRINUM
Weaving Light, Coaxing Death

Xchanges Gallery Is delighted to host PHOTOTEXTRINUM in its physical space September 4-20, 2020

COVID measures are in place. The artist can welcome four visitors to the gallery at one time.
​Visiting times are Friday Sept 4, 7-9pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-4pm, Sept 5&6, Sept 12&13, Sept 19&20.

Detail: Aurora, photograph by randall pc mcginnis, 2020.

"Thus hath the candle singd the moath."
William Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice

Most of us have an uneasy relationship with spiders. Some say they are helpful because they catch flies and mosquitos. And don’t squash them, or it will rain! Others have fear levels that range from mild to phobic. For example, I’m fine with the delicate brown spiders whose dew-laden webs shimmer on fall mornings. But the robust black ones that scuttle around in my basement make me jump. Adding to this emotional mix, is empathy for the doomed captive in the web. After all, who hasn’t got themselves tangled up in a sticky situation once or twice? And what about the dining habits of spiders? Vomiting digestive juices over your trussed up dinner guest before sucking them dry is well…downright yucky.

randall pc mcginnis takes on our primal fears about spiders, entrapment and death in Phototextrinum. He does so like a clever spider weaving a perfect web, using intriguing visual images and radiant filaments of light. (textrinum means weaving in latin.) “My hope is that the viewer, inspired by the beauty, will fundamentally shift their opinions about spiders,” he says.

Wound, 24x36 in, photograph in light box, 2020

Wound, 24x36 in, photograph, 2020

After attracting out attention, mcginnis proceeds to unfold a scientific question for viewers. The delicate filaments of webs both reflect and refract light. Refracted light is split into its colour components by passing through the filaments. The prismatic colours make a dazzling display - but is it a trap? What does a flying insect see he wonders? Does this trap seek to attract, like a moth to a candle flame, or disorient the insect through vibrant colour? To further focus our attention the artist has illuminated each image using light boxes. The backlit illumination in a darkened room heightens our experience of being airborne. This experiential show was scheduled to exhibit at Xchanges Gallery in the spring of 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. ​A small preview was posted online.

What inspired mcginnis to create these remarkable images? His answer: a fleeting glance at rainbow colours in a spider’s web! Capturing this visual phenomenon took much time and experimentation. The task was not an easy one. mcginnis tried various lighting conditions, carefully bringing webs into a darkened studio to photograph. He learned that filaments required sunlight to make the colours shine. Also, spiders are only active 3-4 months a year. Finally, pleased with the outcome of his explorations, McGinnis realized: “The photo project reinforced my sense of wonder about the natural world.”

Each of Us Agents: Self Portrait by randall pc mcginnis, student at Camosun College, 2017.

Each of Us Agents: Self Portrait was completed in 2017 during mcginnis' visual art studies at Camosun College. mcginnis plays the role of Father Time, also called the Grim Reaper, holding the symbolic accoutrements of the archetype. His right hand holds a scythe; his left holds a time piece (cell phone). Instead of dark robes, he wears a business suit. Barely visible is a metal sign with the name McGinnis. The sign includes the first names of his parents and the geographical location of the family farm in rural Saskatchewan. Sadly, the place he grew up is now assimilated into a larger farming complex. The atmospheric lighting spotlights a cow skull entwined with branches, removed from the farm. mcginnis has taken the sting out of death by casting himself as an agent, not a victim, of Father Time. His own relationship with death is resolved and calm. “Death is the natural order of things and inevitable,” he says.

Aurora, 16x20 in, photograph, 2020.

Tranquille, 16x20 in, photograph, 2020.

​Transitioning from a career in medicine, mcginnis enrolled in the two-year Diploma Program in Visual Arts at Camosun College. He graduated in 2017. During the multi-disciplinary studio-based program at Camosun, he discovered photography. “Like a paint brush,” he says, “the camera is a creative tool for an artist.” A camera is a complex instrument, he notes, unfolding its potential takes discipline and abundant curiosity. mcginnis returned to Camosun to work with faculty member Nancy Yakimoski during the planning of his first solo exhibition Phototextrinum. mcginnis had access to Camosun’s high-resolution laser printer. Seeing the clarity of his photos enlarged up to 24 by 36 inches was a thrill. “Brilliant colour is visual joy,” he says.
I feel rejuvenated and inspired looking at these radiant images.

Crayola, 16x20 in, photograph, 2020

Homage to Gursky, 16x20 in, photograph, 2020

​Andreas Gursky is a German photographer who creates large scale photo-scapes. His subject matter is contemporary culture portrayed with myriad details and indistinct patterns that require careful observation. McGinnis explains that Homage to Gursky reminds him of a Gursky landscape, because of the questions it poses: “What is this place, where am I, and how do I feel about being here? What elements are visible in the foreground and what might lie beyond the horizon? These questions could also apply to mcginnis’ etherial and mysterious images.

1970’s, 16x20 in, photograph, 2020

Capture, 24x36 in, photograph, 2020

mcginnis says: “I found it challenging, moving from a scientific background into the world of visual arts." He used intuition to access inspirational ideas, following the muse and problem solving along the way. mcginnis gave a presentation to his fellow students about the intersection of Art and Science. He talked about individuals whose work touches both areas. One of these is science and engineering photographer Felice Frankel, who rejects the title of “artist” for her awarding winning photos. But mcginnis believes her photos are exquisite visual displays that meld art and science. ​

Another artist he talked about was Zachary Copfer. Copfer wonders if “he is a microbiologist masquerading as an artist, or is it the other way around?” He invented “bacteriography” during graduate research, a new medium that combines photographic process with microbiological practices. Copfer cultivates living bacteria in a solution surrounding a photograph, and amazing patterns result. His installation “Star Stuff” used fluorescent bacteria to make glowing images of galaxies like the Milky Way.  His statement says: I want to instil a sense of reverence in the viewer. My artwork suggests that a scientific viewpoint is not cold and passionless, but deeply poetic. A similar theme enlivens the dancing shapes and patterns in Phototextrinum.

And around the tree, 16x24 in, photograph, 2020

Here, 16x24 in, photograph, 2020

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randall pc mcginnis welcomes interest in his work and can be reached at:  [email protected] 

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History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from 
​the University of Victoria
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