The panoramas break up into two groups. One is the straightforward idea of viewing the landscape in the round, with a series of connected images creating a wide angle view. The other works, like the Geelong Sea Baths series, are actually taken over a period of time, say an hour or two, then put together to create a panorama of action. Your mind tends to read it all as one.
My panoramas have all been about big statements. There is a connection back to historical pictorialism, with many layers leading up to a rich artistic statement. They have been exhibited and acquired by major public institutions, including the National Gallery of Victoria.
John O’Neil studied photography at Preston Art School, 1970-72 and Prahran CAE, 1971.
He is represented in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria; Geelong Art Gallery; Melbourne City Council; Deakin University and Moet & Chandon.
We are grateful to Joe Pascoe for his assistance with this exhibition.
For more information, see Insect.org.
