As you may know by now, a holographic portrait of the Queen has been commissioned as part of the 1204-2004 celebrations. BBC Jersey's Ryan Morrison had the opportunity to interview the artist Chris Levine about the portrait. RM: Portraiture of the Queen is normally associated with more 'traditional' media than those your work is known for. How do you think your portrait will be received? CL: The nature of my work invites question - the very mode of expression is unfamiliar and I hope this deepens the impact of the visual signal. My creative process has distilled the work to a hypervisual iconic image and it represents the latest evolution of imaging. The future starts now, all that has been is history. Of course I am very proud to be granted this opportunity and I take responsibility very seriously - and with great pleasure. I am not a portrait artist in the conventional sense - not by a long shot, yet Ihope my sensibility for visual expression and innovation in the use of light validates why I was commissioned to do this work.  | An installation created for the British Council Office in Tokyo by Chris Levine.
Photo: Yukihiro Yamada |
Through its honest simplicity, innovation and sense of purity, I hope it will be recieved for the modernity and creativity it represents. Lit in a single frequency of blue light, the experience of percieving the image will be amplified and memorable.
RM: With the Queen at the centre of the portrait how do you intend to "symbolise and celebrate Jersey"? CL: I have incorporated the three leopards in such a way that they feature as a holorgraphic 'watermark' - they will appear and dissapear depending on the angle of view. It is only with this imaging process that this could be achieved in such a way. The nature of the work in terms of medium I hope conveys a sense of modernity that represents Jersey today. RM: How do you see the function of your holographic portraits as opposed to more traditional mediums such as oil paintings or stone sculptures? CL: We live in an age where technology is becoming increasingly entwined with humanity - we are in a technological revolution and it is natural that my work is accepted of the age, contemporary along side and born out of tradition. RM: We understand that Her Majesty sat for you in November, can you tell us how the work is coming along? CL: I have much footage and am editing and distilling the material. I used two recording techniques, a linear rail digital camera system and a 3D computer scanner - the combination of this data gives me fertile scope for developing the work. I have been granted a second sitting later this month to shoot more footage and I am thrilled at this - it was unexpected and I am very pleased that her majesty found the experience positive. Talk to each other For an open and live debate on this or any subject that matters to you why not visit the BBC jersey message boards and start a discussion on the subject. Unlike the comments in our discussions on this site the message boards allow for live debate and discussion so visit get talking by visiting the message boards now.
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