Exhibition Opening: Peter Hardie From Realism to Abstraction

Stephen Bell examines Peter Hardie’s computer-generated landscapes, tracing a movement from recognisable natural scenes towards abstract studies of motion, light and reflection. Hardie constructs and animates virtual environments in Softimage, combining modelling, scripting, painted textures and compositing rather than simply recording video. Bell emphasises the painterly character of these works and their attention to ordinary moments without narrative. Early sequences explore reflected buildings, trees and sparkling water; later waterfall studies use particles and largely invisible rocks to isolate the shapes of falling water. Leaves drifting along a river and willow branches touching its surface reveal subtle differences in speed, structure and secondary movement. By omitting backgrounds and selectively representing reflections, Hardie directs attention towards particular visual relationships. Monochrome sequences suggest brush-and-ink drawing, while Four Ripples offers a more abstract treatment. Bell then presents unfinished birch-tree studies, using photographs, videos, models and scripts to show the care behind Hardie’s working process. These materials indicate possibilities rather than a completed final direction. The discussion stresses slow, contemplative viewing and the way such work changes perception of natural phenomena afterwards. Bell also considers collaboration, technical experimentation and Hardie’s distinctive individual contribution, presenting computer animation as a medium for observation rather than cinematic spectacle.

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