Statements
The following are extracts from press and publicity material relating to the exhibitions as indicated
What is a Codagraph?Just as the noun 'photograph' relates to both
the tangible permanent record of an image printed on paper, and the work as it is created in a digital camera or on film, so the term codagraph - just like serigraph, lithograph, collagraph etc - was coined to inform the observer/collector about the unique process by which each of the single edition, often mixed media, works on paper are created [and to distinguish them from their near cousins, the Iris or Giclee print multiples, and/or purely computer generated fractal or digital art]
The first codagraphs to be exhibited were 'The Weight of Fire' series, in a solo show in Chelsea, London in October 2005
'The Weight of Fire'
In the introduction to Monadology, published in 1720, the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz wrote: “… the soul is the mirror of an indestructible universe…’’.
A deeply religious man, Leibniz was also a brilliant mathematician – his work rivalled that of Newton – and he was one of the last great polymaths; a citizen of the whole world of intellectual inquiry, who, despite his lack of official qualifications, ignored the boundaries between the established disciplines and contributed fresh and important insights into a number of different fields as a result.
Like Pythagoras and the astronomer Johannes Kepler before him, Leibniz believed that our world had been created by God to a mathematical plan, and he saw the cross-fertilisation of ideas - philosophy, mathematics, metaphysics, astronomy etc., as essential to the advance of human knowledge and a deeper understanding of our place in the universe.
That freedom of thought, and the torch of creative ambition and curiosity carried by the likes of Emilie du Chatelet, the Austrian inventor Viktor Schauberger, the Dutch scientist Antony van Leeuwenhoek, and the Noble Prize winning physicists Max Planck and Paul Dirac, are central to the concept and inspiration behind The Weight of Fire codagraphs.
As the title suggests, these pieces reflect my personal fascination with the mysterious, hidden aspects of our world. We readily associate fire with the properties of light and heat, but given that it is formed with oxygen and carbonaceous materials and produces carbon dioxide and carbon particles which have mass, fire can also be said to have weight.
Under the banner of the metaphor, I have set out to pay homage to some of the aforementioned individuals. By giving form to that which we cannot normally see with the naked eye, I am also attempting to capture, to conjure, the very fabric of existence, as a means - albeit abstract - of connecting with and reflecting upon the miracle of Life. For I believe as Liebniz did, that seeking a better understanding of the complex systems that conspire to sustain us, and exploring the mutable relationship between science, technology and nature, will ultimately lead to a greater understanding of our true place in the universe.
SDE Oct 2005
Square One Gallery, Chelsea, London
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'The Ichthys Variations'
Invited by Princess Azamat Guirey to exhibit work at the inaugural 'Art International Exhibition' in Nassau, Bahamas, I created this series of works specifically for the show
The inspiration for the Icythys [ick-thoos] Variations grew out of my desire to create something that would have a direct and natural link to the Bahamas, and yet also flow organically from my research into the ancient bonds between science and nature, which was the guiding theme behind my Weight of Fire series.
The mystical ichthys symbol [ichthys is the Greek word for fish] is formed when two circles of the same radius intersect in such a way that the circumference of each passes through the centre point of the other.
The Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras considered the symbol - also known as ‘the measure of the fish’and 'vesica piscis' -to be invested with sacred qualities, and the circles themselves appear as potent symbols of spirit, unity and the cycle of life, in many ancient cultures.
As the first known inhabitants of the Bahamas were the Siboney Indians, who depended on fishing for their survival over 7000 years ago, the ichthys seemed a fitting subject to explore for the exhibition.
SDE Nov 2005
Lyford Cay, Bahamas