Sand is an appropriate material to embody and make visible the impulses which may pass through the moving hand and also permeate the universe. Its ability to absorb impressions means it can take on the full range of material states, solid, liquid or vapour, and allows it to speak with the rhythmic language the whole of nature itself uses. Developing a language of forms which more closely speaks this rhythmic language of nature requires an intimate knowledge of the processes of nature. Sand experiments undertaken show the formation a rich array of dazzling patterns. Chaos theory explains this self organizing capacity, and reveals the depth of interdependence of systems within nature. The aspect of self-similarity is also of central significance in appreciating how nature looks and function, and thus how it might be imaged. Drawings from nature were developed using sand as a parameter, starting with the single grain and translating the dynamism of moving sand into mark. Field trips involved looking for waves and repeated lines in nature, and observing how marks form in nature. Chaos theory provides a ground to bring together different spheres of knowledge ?? science, theology and art. It reveals the peculiarities of a material??s behaviour as being of critical importance in the mechanism of evolution. It also provides fresh insight into an incarnational Christian theological perspective, and the relational dynamic within the Trinity. The unity of far and near is also reflected in chaos theory in the self similarity of images. Romantic artists Turner and Van Gogh both engage in the search for a visual language of transcendence through nature using the use of the themes of chaos and order, with an emphasis on physicality and movement. Contemporary artists Goldsworthy, Blanchflower and Kirkeby ground their work in knowledge of material. Changes from solid and rigid to shifting and open show in the development of my work. The immediacy and dynamism of mark making in drawing and staining, ripping and sanding in painting gives process and materiality greater weight. The significance of relationality has reinforced the integrity of horizontal and vertical as expressed in nature and allowed for flexible repositioning of the image within a grid
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/204929 |
Date | January 2008 |
Creators | McCrea, Genevieve Rosalind, Art, College of Fine Arts, UNSW |
Publisher | Publisher:University of New South Wales. Art |
Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Rights | http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
Page generated in 0.0015 seconds