Robert Taylor

Artist Statement

Origins

Mankind was born into the natural world an innocent, free of all distractions and divisions. It is only by our own design that we have become isolated behind layers of leather and denim and cotton, behind layers of concrete and steel and glass. We have chosen to isolate ourselves behind smaller and smaller, more intimate and yet less personal screens, obsessing over information that is clamoring and yet, not Vital. Is it any wonder, that our world is becoming a place of isolation and tension, filled with noise and disturbing images? We have forgotten. And yet, Nature has not forgotten us. We are still, and will always be, welcome into these Cathedrals of Silence. We can find our breath in the breezes. Our pulse in the surf. Our vitality in the grass beneath our bare feet. All we have to do is stop. And listen. This is what we were born to be. Even if we have forgotten the natural world, it has not forgotten us. If we take the briefest of considered moments to be completely present in the natural world, we may rediscover the precious thing that we have lost. Ourselves.

Biography

Robert Akins Taylor, Photographer.
www.riotouscolor.com

Robert picked up his first camera in 1987 and began pursuing what would become a lifelong obsession. After attending the Southeast Center for PhotoGraphic studies 1991-1993, his technical, studio, darkroom and documentary skills were augmented greatly. Having broad interests, Robert pursued documentary, portraiture and fashion, real-estate and commercial, fine art, and landscape photography before settling into his passions. Focusing for years on landscape and fashion photography, a natural evolution and symbiosis of the two genres occurred as the lines blurred and overlapped. Through social relationships, Robert became the staff photographer for a promotions company specializing in punk, rockabilly, and alt-country live music, covering dozens of acts over a span of two to three years. And fortuitously, a yoga classmate turned out to be a dance studio owner and the combination of performance and costume photography proved to be irresistible. From the mountains of Alaska to the history of San Juan, PR, to the Sonoran Desert, hundreds and hundreds of powerful images have been born from this encounter. From small dance ensembles of 2-3 performers, to huge stage productions in front of thousands of spectators, the images have poured forth ceaselessly. And now, after almost three years focusing almost exclusively on Dance, it is time to explore the next avenue of evolution……

Exhibition History (CV)