Description
Tessellating means decorating or covering (a surface) with a pattern of repeated shapes that fit together closely without gaps or overlapping. The assembled shapes and the join lines dividing them, can combine to make a larger geometric design that is predetermined.
The works in “Untessellations”, on the other hand, depict arrangements of irregular, diverse sized shapes which cannot tessellate into such an underlying design. But they still assume a beautiful form when grouped together in looser, more playful arrangements. There, the space between the shapes becomes very important, and is perceived as an object in itself.
I began the “Untessellations” works after accidentally making many small plaster blocks, while trying to create a solid block of plaster from a sheet of honeycomb cardboard. Like doing a never resolvable puzzle, I tried different ways to arrange the small blocks into a whole, playing with their shapes and the spaces between them. I saw that they could also become the basis for a series of works in other media.
So I went on to make the works in plaster, plastic, paper, silicone, and paint on canvas that comprise this exhibition. I used one work as the start of another, translated forms across materials, and tried different processes – from casting, cutting, tracing, transfer and rubbing, to throwing powdered gouache onto canvas. Besides my liking for process, experiment and materiality, the works continue some of my long-held interests – urban form; organic natural processes; archaeology; and making images from fragments.
