R. is fascinated with the British Monarchy and England's history. I find Britain's Royal Family quite intriguing and am particularly taken with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her personality and her presence in the world. The work of Light Artist Chris Levine is brilliant and Most Excellent.
Chris Levine was commissioned by the Island of Jersey to commemorate 800 years of allegiance to the crown. His portrait of The Queen, titled Equanimity, has become an historic artwork. Shot during two sittings at Buckingham Palace, a body of material was recorded, much of which has not been seen.
The original work, an over-sized transmission type hologram lit in blue LED, was shown at Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London and Scone palace in Scotland and has received worldwide coverage in the media.
"Lightness of Being", Chris' new work on show at last years Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, is part of the Equanimity body of work that comprises, literally, thousands of images and 3D data sets of Her Majesty the Queen.
"We think Chris's work exemplifies the 21st century and the links between Jersey and the Crown. It is a tribute to Chris that he has created such a fascinating piece of contemporary art."
Jon Carter, Jersey Heritage Trust
" If a single image in the Summer Exhibition stands for the show as a whole, it is Chris Levine's Lightness of Being. In 2004, Levine made a holo-gramic portrait of the Queen. One of the test shots for the work showed HM flinching at the flash, and Levine has reproduced this, possibly treasonously, as a giclee print. Never mind Annigoni or Freud: Lightness of Being is the greatest portrait yet of Elizabeth II,"
Independent on Sunday
Light is a force of life, and with respect to this in the creative process, Chris’ work has a spiritual context and an edge of pertinence - imagery that seems to invite further question beyond the immediate reaction.
His distinctive visual language and seemingly effortless control over his technological media has differentiated his work from the main stream. His images have resonant power that is both highly original and super modern. As organic and alive as they are focused and precise, the visual results are always compelling and have a sense of distilled purity.
taken from ChrisLevine.com
On display at Buckingham Palace, London