All artworks in their finished state are vast and multifaceted.
Sometimes the layers are physical. Paint upon paint, built up and scraped back, each mark and brushstroke visible; coming together to form a miraculous vision of colour and texture.
It’s also what’s not seen which makes up the many dimensions of the piece; the process of creation, the interplay of emotion, inspiration and narratives behind the finished work.
In Juliet Piper’s photographs it is stratums of memory that combine behind the lens; although often it is not the artist’s own histories which are captured as she seeks left-behind traces of small, personal moments - the sparks of second-hand nostalgia.
Whether literal or conceptual, it’s always fascinating to peel back the pieces of an artwork, deconstructing what we see and feel, finding our way layer by layer.