Practice — Alexander James Hamilton

The photograph is a physical event. Light acts upon matter over time within constructed conditions.

A four decade photographic practice developed through remote expeditions, extended residencies, site reactivation and the construction of research infrastructures.

Photography forms the central axis. Film, sculpture, lighting and site specific installation are employed in direct support of photographic production.

Each project establishes a controlled environment in which sculptural staging, water and light converge. The photograph is the sole material resolution of a physical event, initiated by conditions that cannot be fully defined in advance, and realised through negotiation between constructed systems and natural forces.

The unsayable is not buried inside the image — it is what prompts it in the first place.

All works produced after November 2013 are realised as unique pieces, accompanied by two artist’s proofs that differ in scale and execution. No editions are released.

Alexander James Hamilton
(also known as Alexander James)
b. 1967, London.
study of light caustics
studio, Madrid.