Proposal Abstract

The proposed body of work aligns with the 2020 IMPACT theme ‘The Evolution of Print Technology: Past, Present and Future’, as my work merges traditional printmaking (etching, woodcut and screenprinting) with various other media such as printed embroidery, animation, video and laser cutting and engraving. 

The conceptual exploration of matter, energy, mind and spirit, and their interplay immersed in the experience of the ephemeral have been key foci within my creative practice. Exploring the connections between the spiritual and the scientific, with an aim to visualize and represent impermanence and the invisible, have perpetually been contemplated. Investigating the body as a vessel and how a disease (dementia in particular) can slowly decay memory pathways making them latent, dormant, and unintelligible, embodies such endeavours. Ultimately the loss of the tangible presents the search for the infinite nature of energy and its location(s). My creative research focuses on mapping out such places through imagined cartographies and descriptions of other conceptual realms that exist in presently inaccessible obfuscated locations.

In the body of work, ‘Obscured Locations: In Pursuit of Paradise’, I aim to map out unknown locations through imagined cartographies, which conceptually depict utopia, heaven, paradise or other realms that we know about through some description, but cannot actually arrive to. Using data retrieved from the digital software ‘Stellarium’, one could pinpoint the exact coordinates of specific stars and planets for example. 

A parallel body of work, ‘Circumventing Obfuscation’, continues to explore mortality, ephemerality, and the fragility of life. The goal of this research is to conceptually circumvent (enlighten) what is or has been obfuscated (darkened). To illustrate this point further, imagery of looking at disease past, growth, and efforts towards preservations and cures engage an audience to observe biological phenomena in ways that would otherwise be obfuscated or perpetually invisible.

Brief Description of Works

The conceptual exploration of matter, energy, mind and spirit, and their interplay immersed in the experience of the ephemeral have been key foci within my creative practice. Exploring the connections between the spiritual and the scientific, with an aim to visualise and represent impermanence and the invisible, have perpetually been contemplated. Investigating the body as a vessel and how a disease (dementia in particular) can slowly decay memory pathways making them latent, dormant, and unintelligible, embodies such endeavours. Ultimately the loss of the tangible presents the search for the infinite nature of energy and its location(s). Much of my creative research focuses on mapping out such places through imagined cartographies and descriptions of other conceptual realms that exist in presently inaccessible locations. Works are conceived using a combination of traditional printmaking techniques in conjunction with emerging technologies and scientific instrumentation. Practical experimentation in microbiology, genetics, microscopy and neuroscience, as well as explorations into astronomy and cosmology from a fine art perspective is an important goal of this work. Key features include two-dimensional fine art prints working in concert with laser technology and video to create three-dimensional works/ installation.