Shear (1987)

Handling

Using associative imagery, Seaman creates an unsettling world of buildings and objects, devoid of people. Juxtaposing static shots of stone buildings on "sheer" mountain sides with images of empty rooms, a ladder tilted against a wall, and a reflection of a car rounding a curve, Seaman suggests absence, unbalance, and the mystery of the everyday. A pair of hands clasped together, folding and unfolding, links the images together much as Seaman juxtaposes them for the viewer. Scissors on a table echo the "cutting" that is prevalent in Seaman's work, and provide another allusion to the title.