Levels
Levels
By Lauraine Mak
Levels is an ongoing series of works centering around the concept of measurement as a means to justify and understand phenomena. A detail of the image series is pictured. It focuses on an uncertain moment in time grounded by a tiny bubble of air at the center of a precision bubble level. The instrument negotiates a version of truth with the observer which is contingent on gravity, orientation, and precise reading, thus rendering an indisputable analytical truth. The viewer is encouraged to question the proposed orientation of the photographs, as the sequential panels and blur suggest a movement that influences the position of the bubble in relation to the hand that suspends it in the air. Is objective positionality unquestionable? Are instruments of measurement infallible ? The bubble level, though inconspicuous, is a powerful instrument and a symbol of the logical order imposed on daily lives and motion, a constant reminder that all things follow earthly physics one way or another.
Lauraine Mak (b. 1991) is an artist based in Düsseldorf, Germany and Vancouver, Canada. Her practice investigates philosophy and political theory, both culminating in painting, sculpture, moving image and installations with an interest in visual cultures produced by late capitalism. Often her work explores the concept of repetition and simultaneous and paradoxical sentiments.
This display is a collaboration with City of Richmond and InTransit BC and is also featured as part of the 2025 Capture Photography Festival.
