An innovative photography project that explores the intimate relationship between brass instruments and players is to be featured in a high-profile exhibition later this month.

FORMAT17 (24th March — 23rd April) is set to explore the theme of habitat through varied narratives and imagery — looking broadly at landscape, environment, mobility, migrations, digital worlds, ideas of home and displacement, conflict and regeneration, as well as the spaces that people live in.

Breathing Brass

'Breathing Brass' by the renowned photographer/anthropologist Liz Hingley explores the intimate relationship between brass instruments and players from the ex-mining area of Bolsover, and has been made with the co-operation of local bands such as Newstead Brass, Shirebrook Miners Welfare, Blidworth Welfare, Dronfield and Hucknall & Linby Miners Welfare.

Fascinated by the way that a player's breath moves around an instrument to create sound, Liz Hingley employed a specialist FLIR infrared optical gas imaging camera, which is normally used in heavy industry to pinpoint gas leaks.

The technique reveals the journey a player's breath takes as it passes through a brass instrument, simultaneously leaving a trace of their DNA and tarnishing the metal. Through this process the instrument and player permanently alter each other.

Unique markings

Photographing the unique markings engraved onto the instruments, Liz Hingley hints at the fascinating journeys taken and told by these instruments and their players.

Liz told 4BR: "It's been such an exciting journey collaborating with Bolsover's brass bands; employing an infrared optical gas imaging camera and working with a sound artist to create a unique installation and augmented reality app.

It's been such an exciting journey collaborating with Bolsover's brass bands; employing an infrared optical gas imaging camera and working with a sound artist to create a unique installation and augmented reality appLiz Hingley

App

Viewers can access Hingley's dynamic video pieces captured on the specialist FLIR infrared optical gas imaging camera by using an Augmented Reality app.

For more information

For more about the festival go to: http://www.formatfestival.com/artists/liz-hingley

About the artist: http://lizhingley.com/