Radio waves and television signals can pierce the ionosphere and travel through space at the speed of light. HD 70642 is a star similar to our sun with a large companion planet that orbits in a circular motion very similar to how the planets orbit here in our solar system.  This means it is possible there maybe Earth-type planets orbiting further in. This star is in the constellation of Puppis about 90 light years away. Early signals from Earth will just be reaching this distant solar system with a potential Earth like planet. The time it has taken the signals to reach this home from home roughly the same as my Mother’s lifetime on Earth.

Final assembly of this work 92 Light Years

Early TV signals were transmitted in a series of 30 lines to complete one image called a raster pattern.

It is a systematic process of covering an area progressively, similar to how one’s gaze travels when reading lines of text. The signal is sent in fragments and must be interpreted on arrival to make sense of the message.

The folded sections in this work emulate the raster pattern and are made from a combination of screen print on textile, dye sublimation print using images from the 1930’s and chinagraph pencil marking out the star chart – a bit like a lenticular image – you see the stars from one side and the fragmented signal from the other.

There is a possibility humans retain some residual magnetoreceptor in our eyes that once enabled us to navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field just as birds and other animals do. The steel etching plate I have been working on has had an aquatint added and I have made a couple of test prints.

I have done some quick tests with large circle magnets and iron filings pulled across the printed etching of my iris. The effect is quite magical.

I have also tried using magnetic sheet cut to specific shapes. I was pleased that it held the iron filings but it is quite a weak force so the filings don’t stand up like they do with a stronger magnet.

Forest of Eden in Memento Mori at AIR Gallery showcasing the macabre, the grotesque and surreal works of 27 artists from around the world.​ Translated as ‘Remember Death’; the exhibition sets to remind the viewer of their own fragile mortality whilst also providing a poignant commentary on the art world perceptions of beauty and aesthetics. We are always drawn to works that are appealing to the eye, but what happens when we are confronted with uncomfortable depictions of modern life or something visually grotesque? What makes the unappealing difficult to digest but impossible to turn away from?​

The exhibition features a range of Paintings, sculptures, and fine art from artists that highlight the disturbing beauty and curious attraction to the dark and unsettling. Although there are elements that remind us of the inevitability of death, there is dark humour, and elements that also highlight the affirmation of life with each artist presenting new ways for us to reflect on our own mortal state of being.​

The myth of the wild man stretches back to the tale of Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality.  In history the wild man’s characteristics oscillate between horror and fantasy. They reflect fear of the other as well as aspirations to be at one with nature often violating the taboos of civilization and symbolizing the repressed desires of society. This person who posts photos of himself in charged poses has become an internet meme shared with equal disgust and fascination. In this etching he is placed back in the ancient forest of all our origins.

Listened in to Laurie Anderson’s fourth Norton Lecture, The Road with Q&A led by Adam Curtis. The discussion ranged across notions of reality, things that remain invisible in that we can’t get at them like nuclear science and big finance so it’s hard to make sense of the world. In the past the invisible things were god and heaven. Now we strive to make ourselves visible, to be a product of yourself. What can we replace the Avant Garde with?

Out of the studio

A treat to bump into WeiXin Quek Chong with A.I. Gallery at Cromwell Place for her solo show deepdreams_sublimed

A dive into a haptic materiality of tantalizing tactile surfaces.

‘A solo exhibition by artist WeiXin Quek Chong bringing together sculpture, video, print as well as installation exploring the theme of tactility through sound and material with underlying references to historical & cultural figures and elements.‘

Reflection Curated by Alexander Hinks at The Cello Factory with artists Christina Augustesen, Paul Bonomini, Sibéal Colley, Alison Goodyear, Fiona Grady, Susan Gunn, Susan Haire, Alexandra Harley, Alexander Hinks, Judith Jones, Anna Lytridou, Genetic Moo, Sirpa Pajunen-Moghissi, Simon Pike, Sumi Perera, Michael Petry, Charley Peters, Anna Reading, Paul Tecklenberg, Chris Wood, Andrea V Wright.

“The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set. We know that the earth is turning away from it. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, never quite fits the sight.”   John Berger, Ways of Seeing 

New iteration of Without Horizon Without Shore from Geographies of Print artists Victoria Arney, Carol Wyss and Victoria Ahrens at The Stone Space

Expanding the territories of print while crossing geological and metaphorical borders of lived landscapes.

‘Without Horizon, Without Shore offers a contemplative view of the organic threads that connect us – giving voice to our encounter with the intrinsic fluidity and melody of the landscapes we inhabit, external and internal. These are depictions and sounds beyond visible shores, static horizons. These fragments and mineral particles retain indelible marks that serve to capture a haptic sense of ourselves, touching, quite literally – on the liminal spaces or connective threads that bind us. In a shifting landscape both metaphorical and actual, these ephemeral traces of our physical experiences compel us to find new ways to embody them.’

Kate Fahey solo show Blubbing at Commonage Projects

Suitably unsettling for All Hallows weekend visit these sculptures ooze an almost tangible animated spirit, something has been captured here and collectively they own the space you have entered.

‘In the subterranean space, Fahey’s installation explores the fluidity and underneath-ness of both membranes and sensations. The architecture mimics corporeality, becoming permeable: leaking, seeping, oozing, dripping, weeping…experiments in viscous physicality. Biomorphic forms twist and coil, we are mirrored in their tendrilous movements. A knitted conduit, that both amplifies and muffles, slinks towards us, our bodies might bend to share an interaction. The coolness of a contorting pipe and the looping of digital technologies are softened and warmed with biology.’