Artist Dan Holdsworth talks about his new show in Sheffield

The latest work by artist Dan Holdsworth will make its UK debut as part of a new solo exhibition opening at Sheffield’s Graves Gallery next week.

Charting Holdsworth’s explorations of the relationship between landscape photography, science and technology, Mapping the Limits of Space will present the artist’s most recent series, Continuous Topography, alongside key works from the last seven years.

Continuing Holdsworth’s investigation into both real and virtual representations of the geological landscape, Continuous Topography (2016) is a remarkable reimaging of the glaciers of the Mont Blanc Massif in the Chamonix Valley, France.

The series is the result of painstaking fieldwork which saw Holdsworth collaborate with a research geologist to capture hundreds of photographic images.

These images were subsequently processed through GPS technology and sophisticated software to create a unique 3D model of the landscape, with every contour mapped in seemingly impossible detail.

The works, which Holdsworth calls a form of “future archaeology”, deftly place the landscape in the context of the geological ages through which it has developed and will ultimately degrade.

Through his use of digital mapping data, Holdsworth has expanded the photographic process in order to develop a new aesthetic language that explores the changing nature of human perception in relation to that of our evolving science and technologies.

Whilst embracing the latest technological developments, Holdsworth’s work also openly refers to the history and tradition of landscape photography.

Continuous Topography will go on show alongside a range of recent works which investigate this interface between traditional and digital processes, and the geological and technological world, including Blackout (2010), Forms FTP (2013), Spatial Objects (2015), and Transmission: New Remote Earth Views (2012).

“Dan Holdsworth creates his work through an incredible amount of research, thought and skill,” says Kirstie Hamilton, Head of Exhibitions and Displays, at Museums Sheffield.

“The way in which his process pushes the boundaries of photographic practice resonates powerfully with the issues that his work challenges the viewer to consider. Ultimately, his work makes us reflect on the vastness of the natural landscape, our place within in it, and the impact we have on it. His interest in the ideas of John Ruskin and Sheffield’s location adjacent to the Peak National Park makes showing Dan’s work at the Graves Gallery all the more relevant. ”

Dan Holdsworth’s work has been featured in international solo and group exhibitions worldwide, including the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Tate (London). His work is held in major international public and private collections including Tate (London), Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Centre Georges Pompidou (Paris), Mumok (Vienna) and the Goetz Collection (Munich).

Dan Holdsworth: Mapping the Limits of Space opens at the Graves Gallery, Sheffield on December 16 and continues until March 16, 2018. Entry to the exhibition is free.