Batcheller's images on glass on view at Remsenburg Academy

The black and white constructions seem to open up a view of the past. They’re murky and mysterious with enough allusions to decay to stir some sadness. Perhaps it’s the stark shadows of tree branches. Or maybe it’s the peeling filmy material that could be paint aged from time. Snatches of deserted historic cemeteries with leaning headstones help set the scene for an elusive memory.

If you ask the artist, Edward Batcheller, about his intention, he likely won’t provide a specific answer. His art combines two types of classic photographic techniques to render images on glass that are collaged to form a single composition. Each work is meant to elude specific interpretation in its meaning.

About half the artworks on view in his solo show at the Academy in Remsenburg, “Elegies and Constructs,” are meant to evoke the layers of somber contemplation prompted by learning about a death. The layered glass photographs set in wooden light boxes and illuminated from behind are meant to be visual elegies, a poem of mourning or lament for a deceased, said Mr. Batcheller. The art uses familiar imagery in abstract forms instead of narratives.

The other half of the exhibition, “Constructs,” takes a lighter tone, and has Mr. Batcheller stretching beyond conventional approaches. In these photographs printed on glass, entire images are fully exposed. The pieces are suspended from a steel frame and hung from cables calling suspension bridges to mind.

The “Constructs” pieces are intended to explore translucency. Some pieces are so subtle they appear to depict a gentle fog or the gray of a television screen after a station has gone off the air. They may contain the whisper of a bird or a silhouette of a tree branch. Mr. Batcheller said every panel explores translucency, whether they are thick with darkness or unobstructed clear glass.

Randomness is another important element. Each image is created with no particular end in mind. Mr. Batcheller makes photograms and photography on glass. Photograms create silhouettes or shadows of an object placed atop photo-sensitive material. After exposure to light, the image that appears resembles a film negative. Photograms were used by Man Ray (1890-1976) to make images he called “Rayographs.”

Mr. Batcheller takes his photograms and layers them with photographs on glass panels. Afterward, the glass panels are laid out across his studio and viewed as if they are recently discovered “found objects,” he said. The panels are then combined to create visual interplays and implied meanings.

“My interests have been in filmmaking and in sculpture,” Mr. Batcheller said. “This combines both. I’ve always liked the translucent quality of film. The panels let me combine them in different ways so they become sculptural.”

Texture is sometimes added with fields of dried emulsion. The emulsion can be applied in thick layers and then left to peel. Other times, it is scratched away, shredded or scored with lines.

In the “Elegies” series—the earlier of the two—glass panels are placed inside a wooden box and layered to create depth. They are backlit to create atmosphere. The quality of the compositions changes along with shifts in natural light, Mr. Batcheller noted. This furthers the interaction between light and dark and opaque and clear.

“Constructs” pieces are developed through the selection of the plates and their physical relationship to each other. Ultimately, the goal is to make artworks that depart from traditional photography aims.

Demonstrating the quality of the gray scale and the potential power of abstract arranging is Mr. Batcheller’s ultimate aim. He likened his method of working to writing poetry. Linking separate yet related glass panels resembles the construction of a poem, he said, in that words and the sounds of sentences combine to channel emotion.

“Elegies and Constructs” remains on view through September 25 at The Academy, 130 South Country Road, Remsenburg. Hours are from 5 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Call 631-355-2224 for more information about the artist’s work.