Location: Arthole, Darkroom, 336 Saint Asaph Street, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8011

Epoché is a series of poor images and assemblages that delves into themes of fragmentation, noise, and contemporary material culture in order to focus on the abandoned and the ephemeral as necessary conditions of existence.

The term, from which the title of both the show and consequent publication are drawn, originates in the Greek, ἐποχή, in the employ of the ancient skeptics. Transliterally, the word means ‘cessation’. It describes a practice of letting go by abstaining from judgment, whether positive or negative, in order to reach clarity separate from conflicting data, phenomena, and theories. It is both a technical moment that aids understanding of the world and a general inclination towards observation and contentment with reality as it is. 

In this second exhibition of her residency at Photosynthesis, Irenie How pulls on these threads to present constructions made from the detritus of everyday experience. As such, the photographic and physical works-in-progress of this series represent the possibilities of growth, of movement, and of fresh perspective. Cans and wrappers found on the street overlay stills of urban scenes, while an archeological catalogue of waste products documents the artist in her environment.

Ultimately, Epoché invites viewers into a reflective space amidst the complexities of contemporary artistic, ecological, and personal tensions.