Complex units such as a square or a circle are composed of space, points, and outlines. The smallest unit,
seemingly the simplest, a point, can be defined by a gestural mark. A point can also be defined by numerical notation.
A point can be considered an objective unit. Letters and numerals can be considered objective units. These units serve
as organizing elements of reality. I am working with the relationships of these units as premise for visual knowing, art. (April 1979)
In 1975 I watched a line invent itself, as a small green phosphor, traveling across the computer screen. Just like radii make up the circumference of a circle,
many small green dots made up a line on-screen.
The concept of ‘line’, a mark made on or in a surface, is an invention like systems of writing and ciphers. A
line is also the continuity between two points. A point would be the absolute reduction of a line.
Placement is a central aspect of the concept of numbers. In Random 1111 8888,
I define four points in four quadrants. Linear compositions are based on a given number of points and move
between those points in all possibilities, any given number of lines at a time. Each combination is defined by
a unique matrix, which presents a closed form or circle by repeating the values of the first line in the matrix.
In a narrative, a story or sequence of events, images are pieced together to tell the story. I am extending
narrative to include a sequence of objects in space. I am interested in the ordering of objects in a given space, whereby space becomes narrative.
I trace artistic influences to the conceptual work of the late sixties, especially the work of Lawrence Weiner, who found new ways to incorporate space into the
2-dimensional plane; Ian Wilson, who used contextual manipulations in his discussions; Dan Flavin, whose fluorescent works captured my imagination; and Hanne
Darboven, whose work alerted me to aspects of seeing and thinking.
|