Spacetime explorations no.1 and no.2

This pair of drawings uses an archaeological method of drawing as research method for investigating surfaces and spaces. The method of stippling—using dots instead of lines, cross-hatching or solid shading, inverts the usual approach: where lines literally delineate and divide a surface, stippling builds up form one particle at a time, which is more like sculpting than drawing. It is also very slow, which is a way of countering the constant acceleration of contemporary life.

The first drawing in this series was therefore called Spacetime exploration no.1 as it was equally about time and process as about final product. The heavy (220gsm) paper with pronounced grain suited the subject of dark matter—the drawing depicts the position of stars over London at a specific time. Looking out into space not only means vast distances but into the past as well. This drawing was exhibited in the exhibition If a Tree Falls at Grizedale Sculpture Centre in 2018.

The second drawing depicts an ultraviolet image of the sun at a particular time in 2018. In this case the drawing also became an exploration of surface—the surface of the sun. In contrast to the previous drawing, here the sun as our primary light source takes on material form as stellar plasma, and this was an exploration of the surface of the star itself, not as negative space or intangible energy. As with all drawings, it captures a momentary glimpse of a constantly shifting subject, developing this frozen moment over several months.