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Sight Unseen Series
My interest in interconnectedness or relational dynamics continues with the Sight/Unseen series. Essentially, more is unknown about our universe than what is known.
Recently, scientists have posited that there is no such thing as inactive, empty space in the universe. They have put forth the theory that space is composed of 5% baryonic matter, or matter that is visible to the human eye, 68% dark energy, and 27% dark matter. Dark matter and dark energy are theoretical because we cannot see them with our human eyes. So what we actually see is a tiny portion of what makes up the universe.
In my work I strive for a sense of impending change, even a sense of expectancy compositionally, mostly using line to direct our attention off the picture’s/object’s planes.
A line runs or falls off the edge of the 2D plane, and we are in another dimension, one we are not able to perceive. However, given the behavior of colors, lines, and shapes it is evident that there is more happening.
The fullness of space is not a new idea in art. “Ma” – the marvelous void is a philosophical concept that harks back to Asian art. At its heart is the notion that even empty space is full. This can be applied to music, poetry, etc., where the negative space is as important as the positive. For instance the pauses between musical notes (negative spaces) are just as active in the construction of a melody as the notes themselves (the positive spaces). Therefore the scientific theory of dark matter and energy now reflects what I am trying to achieve in my visual art. Empty space has its own energy. Dark matter theoretically exists, but it doesn’t interact with light, or the light that humans can see. So stars and planets are not dark matter. Dark energy affects the universe’s expansion, and it can possess its own energy, and it is doing so faster and faster. It is a kind of dynamic energy fluid or field, something that fills all of space.
I want to convey both the activeness of the picture planes and a sense of uneasy equilibrium. I hope to imbue each piece with a sense of impending change, the kind which propels our world toward both constancy and change.
