Textures

The subject of this photo series would give the photographer the opportunity to put the human in

the focus of his lens, often seen in many photos related to rock climbing. One of the most famous

shots in recent years: the National Geographic image of Jimmy Chin captures Alex Honnold whilst

he climbs the 900-meter-high El Capitan without a safety rope. This amazing performance can only

be truly understood when seen through the proportions of both the rock and the man.

However, the photographs in ‘Textures’ do not directly use a figurative point of reference: the

surfaces of the various rocks fill the frames, whilst the crops free the images from dimension:

By not seeing the crags in relation to the figure, the photographer eliminates dramatic effect –

choosing not to examine the relationship between the individual and the mountain, neglecting

popular narratives. Barnie approaches the subject of his photographs from a point of view free from

these power relations, making texture the protagonist.

With this level of abstraction the subject loses its points of reference, both in time and space,

encouraging the viewer to look for new grips, solely by the representation of stone as a material.

Barnie has chosen not to title the photographs, nor does he wish to impose anything on the recipient,

allowing the relationship between the viewer and the material to be born freely.

The artist’s primary tool is magnification: bringing us so close to the subject that the rock formations

are almost unrecognizable, inviting us to question: which rock’s characteristics can we discover in

the pictures?

As an avid climber Barnie has an extremely tangible relationship with these surfaces; his experience

of the properties of dolomite, limestone or basalt have formulated his working practice for this

photo series. In ‘Textures’ he shares these experiences with us up close, so that we can almost feel

these surfaces beneath our fingers.