An Infinity Tunnel of Stories: A reflection on the artistry of Val Adamson
by Lauren Noble (Guest Writer)
The very name Val Adamson conjures up whimsical images of cinematic lighting states, evocative tableaux poetics, and barrel rolls suspended in midair forever more. During my time as a theatre studies student at Howard College it was a name that was always exclaimed with an intriguing mix of reverence and exuberance by students and lecturers alike. Observing Val Adamson in action was always an affirmation of why her name tumbled with such energy from the lips of those I had grown to admire and respect at university. This opportunity to reflect on her work has shone the spotlight on an artist who is typically photographing someone else in the spotlight because, simply put, Val Adamson personifies those so often elusive qualities of an artist who consciously uses her own art to empower other artists.
In 2014, Adamson was named a Living Legend by the eThekwini Municipality As someone who has dedicated so much of her time and talent to uplift artists, and thus support the development of the arts at large, this is an honour which recognizes her contribution to the artistic and theatrical landscape of eThekwini and beyond. I ask her why this Kenya-born, Scotland-trained, eThekwini-residing photographer choose photography as her medium of choice all those years ago:
“Because I love it and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Through photography I get to meet so many amazing people and I end up in all sorts of interesting places.
I wonder if cyberspace amidst a national lockdown and a full overhaul of the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience qualifies as one of those interesting places? Last year Val was asked to exhibit a fully digital gallery 21 years in the making as the official festival photographer in the very first online iteration of JOMBA! since its inception 22 years prior.
It is very easy to get lost within a gallery by Val Adamson. Her work spans decades of diverse projects and seems to hold this innate power over us as audience members, holding our gaze for just long enough to immerse our souls into these momentary lapses of time across our shared history. It’s intoxicating stuff! Her 2021 gallery is no different. Through the Lens: Val Adamson in Photographic Conversation with Jay Pather is a beguiling romp through the contemplative and eccentric mind of Jay Pather, providing us with a retrospective exhibition of his works since the late 90s. And, of course, I’m intrigued to know what she has learned over her years documenting the eccentricities of crossing borders through dance and performance art with Pather and Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre:
“Definitely the art of layering! There is always so much going on in their works, in various levels, which photographs so well. However, you mustn’t get sucked into what is going on, on one side of the stage as there is often something equally interesting going on, on the other side! I have learnt to shoot with the other eye open checking out what else is going on!”
The postmodern aesthetic of so much of Pather’s work is one which celebrates the anti-monotonous and encourages the un-expected whilst challenging the status quo of storytelling. Adamson’s gallery is one which speaks directly to this aesthetic. This is her superpower… though she did tell me she’d very much like to understand and speak every language! There is just so much to look at, and then re-look at, because you missed something — perhaps everything! — the first time you tried to unravel the story. Her galleries are an infinity tunnel of stories. Each image reveals a story as captured by her artistry which, in turn, empowers a story as crafted by the imagination of other artists which, in turn, represents a story as necessary as the body which carries it. The photography of Val Adamson is not only the embodiment of art; it is embodied art itself in an infinity tunnel which just keeps growing. Long may it continue.
