Mourning for the image, insofar as I fail to perform it, makes me anxious; but insofar as I succeed in performing it, makes me sad. If exile from the Image-repertoire is the necessary road to “cure”, it must be admitted that such progress is a sad one. (Barthes, 1977)

movement

It’s not clear if the matter is mulch on a garden bed, accumulated forest litter or washed up debris on the beach after a storm.

The two pieces of balsawood—one round section the other square section—crossed over each other creating an ‘X’ that looked entirely considered and deliberate.

If the sun going down signified anything, it was concerned less with a romantic landscape—given the buildings—than the signs of a stereotypical romantic photograph (romance for the amateur photographer).

When the blue light was reflected in the glass at a 30 degree angle, with its side doubly reflected, it was easier to realise why such an everyday object could inspire such curiosity.

The wind thrust though the black cloth challenging it to take a stand, while the idea took on a life of its own, its momentum generating new currents.

The lichen on the very old stone must take many years to grow. Only the dead can witness its growth.

interference

You thought it looked like a ball or an egg. The latter proved an appropriate metaphor for its context and the uncertainty of its contents.

The shadow of an exotic indoor plant crops in from the side, yet there is still no sense of proportion or scale in this scenario.

There is some confusion about the depth of field, the camera could not settle on the emphasis of the background as a reflection of the foreground.

The rear of the sign, inverts an exit strategy into a positive.

Why does that black shark fin fly across the sand dune with the crystal blue upside down?

The red plastic rose made more practical sense than a real one, and in any case it was taken from another tombstone, which made it seem even more generic, yet appropriate at the same time.

momentarily

The idea was instant. Why would ‘my lamp’ be more of a companion than ‘my bulb’?

There was sufficient time for the leaf shadows to be in the right place in relation to the shadows of the balsa wood, but now everything is different.

For a moment the leaves of the plant had the perfect angle of their reflection and the right amount of light contrasting with dark.

If you walked past this sign everyday you would not stop to understand its space. One has to remain motionless for several minutes for the sensors to deactivate the lights.

There is no way of proving that the black piece of cloth fluttering in the wind was meant to be a flag, though it seemed to signify such an intention.

The red plastic rose was not there the next time. Perhaps it occupies another grave, or maybe someone’s loungeroom.

improvisation

There was no need to change a thing as the work had been made by natural forces: the light globe was perfectly positioned.

It is no surprise that a wall painted in a deep turquoise colour would harmonise with the lightness of balsawood.

The angles of the reflection in relation to the wall with the positioned black plastic, the window sitting perpendicular and the location of the camera created the form for the idea.

It can take many viewings and observations of an object to understand what it is saying, what it might signify. It just happened that a blank illuminated sign is an obvious metaphor.

Organising a piece of text seemed like a more functional and manageable task than organizing a whole lot of sounds. In the same way the black cloth signified its intent from a general plan.

Looking from above the shaped stone with the carved characters became absorbed into the framing of the makeshift concrete.

perplexity

The white round shape imbedded in the debris with the sun reflecting from it off centre illuminated a whole new life (so said the reader). White is uniquely extravagant.

You read the idea of paths crossing as a form of connectivity; the two different shapes of the balsawood are also important. Roni Horn uses the idea of pairing with identical forms.

There is a confusion of spaces and angles, object and reflection. The greenness of the leaves and the dark spaces in between, the light distinguishing the veins of some, and others merging with the black shiny acrylic; indeterminency.

It may be an easy sign to read, even without text, but now it can signify anything you like. It now floats as an entry point.

The timber formwork, now weathered and disfigured, was left surrounding the concrete for some reason, framing it as a monument to the preservation of history (and flat death).

experience

When one stumbles across a natural phenomena that contains a wonder in some small measure of existence, it cannot be taken for granted nor captured, but simply enable a reverie on its essence. The journey of this light globe must seem improbable for its survival.

If the decisions made were prescribed by rational thought, then paths would not cross, serendipity and enchantment would have no home.

There is no way to separate the representation from the referent, no need to as their conflation makes the task more unsuspecting; the image-repertoire as a reflection of reflection.

There is a point where the signs are clear, but then that point shifts in perspective.

In the strong wind sand has an abrasiveness that belies its gentle qualities. The flag has a form that shifts constantly from agitation to serenity.

‘The fire and the rose are one’. (Bachelard)