Stillness in Motion

By Agostinho Guilherme Fernandes (Nico)

Event Date: 28th June — 21st July, 2018

One of the Taiji (太極) practice contents requires seeking Stillness in Motion (動中求靜). Martial arts are good at motion with extreme power. Taiji (太極) uses stillness to control motion, softness to counteract hardness, co-ordination in all aspects to achieve balance.

Capturing motion paths of the dancers through time and space, from a tri-dimensional reality into a still bi-dimensional image, yet full of energy and life, is a wonderful challenge.

Depending on the choreography, the sense of dancing motion, rhythm and mood are beautifully illustrated by slowing down the exposure time, or by moving the camera when the scene is still.

The colours, lighting, dance formation, beauty of movements and music, moved and inspired me in creating a unique visual language.

In March 2012, with a portfolio of 15 dance performance images, I was awarded and honoured by the Visual Art Panel of “The Royal Photographic Society” with the distinction of ARPS (Associate Royal Photographic Society).