Why Untethering Landscape ? I have a long interest in cosmology, the study of the Universe [maybe Multiverse?]. Over the last few years my paintings have reflected this interest more and more. But, I am not a scientific illustrator or an artist who provides ‘artist impressions’ of what something might actually look like. Rather, I like to paint a sense of wonder, using symbols and ambiguous landscapes to pose questions. I am inspired by many things, including science and particularly cosmology. I think it fascinates me because it delves into an array of different areas that variously investigate the elements of the quantum to the vast, plus studying the history of the Universe, as well as posing fascinating and important philosophical questions. It reveals new perspectives of our planet and ourselves…offering new ways to approach the various problems that face us in the 21st century.
So, it is against this background of wonder and investigation that I propose the need to rethink ideas of landscape and how we represent these ideas. Landscape has long been an anchor for humankind. Indeed, we literally stand on it, we dig it up, we change it to suit our needs…it provides us with food, shelter and water. It also collapses on us, sends inclement weather, erupts, floods and dries up. Our depictions of landscape, I suspect, have provided a kind of tethering for the anchor. These depictions, throughout the ages, have helped us form identity.
But, with the Universe revealing many of its secrets into the hands of truly amazing scientists, we need to untether ideas of landscape from Earth-bound horizons. Why? Because, if we are to understand ourselves in a cosmological sense, we have to grapple with broader horizons across time and space. Earth maybe our home, but the universe is our environment. Humankind’s sense of identity is currently being provoked, prodded and questioned, but I am not too sure how many people have noticed!
Our identity as dwellers/citizens of the Universe provides totally new perspectives of the close and far distances of our ‘environment’. These perspectives may seem dizzying and scary, but we need to overcome them in order to acquire 21st century identity. The genre of landscape, I believe, is a known conduit that can help guide us…if we…untether it…and take flight with it! This is what I attempt to do with my ‘landscapes’.
Image: Surrendering Horizon (2014). Oil on linen 100 x 150 cm
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