Skywatcher

Martin Healy’s film, photographic and sculptural installations explore obscure theoretical and scientific motifs from early 20th century literature to create narratives that are a synthesis of fact, fiction and mythology. The works frequently examine the relationship between scientific theory and belief systems to explore intersecting layers of time in all its variant possibilities.
Skywatcher (2007) is a two channel video installation, which consists of a documentary style interview with a man who discusses the possibility that he may have encountered UFOs in Warminster in the UK during the 1970’s. During the course of the interview the man describes his experiences of witnessing various aerial phenomena and in particular his attempts to record the events on photographic film. As Healy explains in an interview with Patrick T Murphy (publication  I want to Believe, 2007), “Warminster is local, more folklore than science fiction. And I am trying to capture its particular atmosphere and present it in my work. I am showing its dynamic but I am not trying to analyse it or investigate it, just to communicate it without prejudice”.