ARTIST STATEMENT
geckofrangipaniwoolmothflower is an exploration of the scientific defamiliarisation of everyday items and elements of the environment, exposing the fascination that can be discovered in the unknown. The artwork reflects the concept of “mental blind spots” and the human mind’s eagerness to “understand the unfamiliar” in “fantastical environments” (Evans, 2019). Inspired by Stephen Young and Paul Kelly’s macroscopic and microscopic imagery, the art creates a paradox as the detail provided simultaneously familiarises and defamiliarises a known subject. geckofrangipaniwoolmothflower consists of six curated microscopic images enlarged and presented as landscapes. The three-dimensional appearance of the intricate drawings confronts the viewer.
ARTWORK PROCESS
The photographs were taken using an electron microscope, a reflection of the technological capabilities available in scientific fields and a pursuit of the unknown. Electron microscope technology was employed as I wanted to explore the fantastical on a miniscule scale, as opposed to universal. Each Prismacolor pencil drawing was created as an even more intricate view of a section of each photograph, exposing texture not before recognised. Drawings were placed on a series of blocks to further emphasise them.
