V5, 2013 - 2014.

C-prints in wooden frames, various dimensions (37 x 52 cm/42 x 62 cm/52 x 72 cm).

The title V5 refers to a specific area in the visual cortex of the brain. One of the principle functions of V5 is to detect and signal the presence and direction of visual motion and to bind various visual signals together.

Interfering flash blotches, underexposed images and surface scratches are elements most photographers consider valid reasons to throw their work out the window. Dominique Somers does just the opposite. In her series V5 she seeks out the fringes of photography by using such aberrations and surprise effects to examine the limits of the medium and our perception. The narrative aspects of the original pictures are sidetracked as the attention of the viewer is drawn to their physical features. One could call her work a form of slow photography: what is represented appears ‘uninteresting’ at first sight but forces the viewer to look differently and more carefully at certain subtle details. The element of time plays an important role as her search for the static in the image demands attention and slowing down. - Marc Wullaert for cobra.be