statement

We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies. Pablo Picasso.

Cognitive scientists have known for many years that human memory is not veridical. Our memories are not records of what we've experienced in the past, but rather they are constructive combinations of those experiences with what our mind has made of our past and perhaps most importantly our goal state for the present moment. Memory is intrinsically creative.

The work of the cinematographer is to shape the attention of the viewer with the mind of the director. Filmmaking, after all, is not theater where the viewer is in control of how they experience the moment, rather its a lens made from the mind of another.

In my practice, making art with a camera is somewhere between these two. Not as explicit as the action of the cinematographer, but certainly not just about capturing "the perfect moment" in some disembodied, automatic sense. My unique mind, after all, is what has brought me to this moment of possibility. It has motivated my feet to the place where I stand and directed my vision towards light and color and form. It raises my arm to my eye in possibility, but most of all it gives that image concept, frequently imbued with emotion. My mind makes my heart beat faster and brings a tear to my focusing eye when I realize what a gift it all is and my shutter pulses in response.

On a good day it's a lie that tells the truth, and on the other days it's just the way I experience the world.

biography

Robert Morrison grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the son of an architect and teacher. He lived in Treetops, a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired creation, designed and built by his father. Art was everywhere and everything during his childhood. His dad, also an avid photographer, gave his 1963 Canon FTql with a similar vintage Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens to Robert when he was a teenager.

After studying chemistry in college, Robert worked as a polymer chemist at Day-Glo Color Corporation in Cleveland where he received several patents for his work on new daylight fluorescent ink technologies. While in Cleveland he pursued his other passion, art, studying sculpture at Cleveland Institute of Art, before leaving his job as a chemist to pursue making art full time. During this time he exhibited his sculpture in galleries and museums throughout the country.

But Robert found life as a full time artist limiting, and decided to follow his interest in the mind and creativity back to academia and received his PhD from UCLA in Cognitive Neuroscience where he was fortunate to study with Keith Holyoak, who is also an accomplished poet.

During his graduate school years Robert’s past as an artist and a chemist melded with his first love of photography. Along with several other Southern California based photographers he found himself at the vanguard of the digital revolution. Co-editing several influential online communities dedicated to digital workflows he helped to develop early methods of printing black and white photos digitally. This technology now widely used in professional photo printers allows black and white photographers to benefit from digital capture and digital film workflows while producing archival quality prints resembling traditional fibre-based silver prints in tonality and longevity.

At this time, while still shooting 35mm and medium format film cameras, Robert began to use the first major digital camera to hit professional photography, the Nikon D1. He also used film scanners to move his color and black and white negatives into digital workflows. Eventually, Robert moved to principally digital capture and now uses full frame and micro four thirds mirrorless digital cameras for most of his current work.

In addition to his life as a photographer, Robert is Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Loyola University Chicago and is the principal investigator of the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab (CANlab). He is also a Yogi, trained in the Tantric tradition and a Reiki practinioner. He makes it through life thanks to the love and support of his wife Michelle, his daily practice of yin, restorative, and vinyasa yoga, Reiki, and of course his camera.

contact

Studio Theia is located in Chicago’s south loop neighborhood, just five minutes walk from Lake Michigan and Grant Park; however, Robert shoots regularly all over the world.

Email: robert@studiotheia.com

Voice: +1-312-498-2612

Flickr: studiotheia

Instagram: @studiotheia.com