Private Project

Through the Streets

The suburban driving experience has become a central theme in Annette Peterson's oeuvre of painting. Previous research projects have embodied this subject using Impressionistic and Phenomenological approaches. One project involved painting ten-minute sketches in her car on the side of the road to best capture the sensory affects of driving. Another investigated the impact of light and atmosphere experienced while travelling through her local suburb, especially during the Golden hour and how this can affect place perception. More recently, Peterson's interest in driving and the everyday phenomena has steered toward investigating the moving image, especially with the ability of smartphones at hand to record the everyday world. The "Live" option on Apple iOS smartphones is an exciting feature for its unique filming ability, as it allows for a short burst of film instead of a single image. According to Apple, the "live" option can create a short movie of 1.5 seconds before and after the picture is taken. Apple suggests its purpose is to make short films or GIFs, or the option to pick the best image within the film. The owner of the phone also has control of how the "live" version operates. The recent Loving Vincent Feature Film (2017), directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman has also influenced this project. The film was created by replacing each film still with a painting, as is this project. Through the Lights, consists of a series of paintings that emulate a "Live" photo to make a stop-motion movie or looped GIF. Through the Lights also explores the functionality of the moving image, and specifically, in what ways can an animated version of the "live" image affect the interpretation of an image. Furthermore, whether an analogue approach, like painting, can differ from the standard digital presentation. Creating artwork regarding the unnoticed everyday moment can bring attention to contemporary lifestyle and travel experiences. Moreover, it can bring attention to moments that happen on the journey that is dismissed or overlooked because of the inability to record or recall them later once the destination is attained.

  • Annette Grace Peterson
    Director
  • Annette Grace Peterson
    Writer
  • Annette Peterson
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Web / New Media, Other
  • Runtime:
    2 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 20, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Camera Canon 450D
  • Aspect Ratio:
    3:4
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Annette Grace Peterson

Annette Peterson, born in Norway, began landscape painting in 2007 after working as a journalist in the Pilbara, WA. She has completed a Bachelor of Arts (UWA), Graduate Diploma for Art and Design, Masters of Applied Design and Art and Honours (Visual Art) at Curtin University. In 2016, Peterson received a commendation from the Head of School for Art and Design (2016) and an Art Award (2017) from Curtin University. In 2018, Peterson won the Celebrating Joondalup Award and was awarded the Overall Emerging Artist for the City of South Perth. In 2019, Peterson won the Joondalup Community Art Award and was selected to exhibit at the Bunbury Biennale, Minnawarra Art Award and the Perth Royal Art Prize for Landscape. In 2020, she was a finalist in the City of Joondalup Invitation Art Award. In 2021, Peterson exhibited at the Minnawarra Art Award, the Bunbury Biennale, the City of Joondalup Invitation Art Award the inaugural Lethbridge Landscape Prize. Her first animation work, Through the Trees, was a finalist in the LA Animation Awards.
In 2021, Peterson had her fourth solo exhibition at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery and won the 2021 Stirling Art Award. She is also a feature writer for Perth based "The Artist Chronicle" Magazine.
Shotgun Through Scarborough has been selected for the 2022 Perth Revelation Film Festival and the Sydney Underground Film Festival.
Since 2019, Peterson has completed Fine Art Residencies at Curtin University, Fremantle Art Centre and Parkerville Children's Home and Midland Junction Art Gallery. She has just been announced as the 2022 Cossack Art Award artist in residence.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Peterson, who grew up in Perth, is a practice-led oil painter who has both studio and plein air approaches to her practice. She utilises photography and painting techniques to facilitate both realistic and impressionistic style landscape paintings. She is most influenced by changes in light and atmosphere in everyday suburban street scenes. Her fascination with the suburban driving experience has been aided by the accessibility of smartphones at hand to record the moving image in a car. Peterson’s aim is to capture fleeting and affectual moments, impossible to capture or recall once the destination has been reached. Most recently, Peterson has explored ways of remediating digital and analogue formats of the moving image and how they are perceived.