Moments of Clarity
Photo Credit: Ryan Allan
Journal Entry
I entered the landscape on a day of transition where the morning sunshine, bathing the marsh in abundant light, shifted as the breeze pulled dark clouds over the campground. A remnant of the turbulent storm casts a shadow over the warm embrace of the morning sun. The outbursts of rain arrived in waves providing brief smatterings of downpour, a further reminder of the impermanence of the sunshine. Until the breeze pushed the clouds away. A final séance with the sun.
The weather mirrored my thoughts, providing navigation for my own unease. Specters of thought in parity with the shifting weather. The fleeting moments where the breeze configures the trees into ever-changing arrangements mirroring the fleeting seconds of clarity. The complexity of natural systems sublimates my unease into an outlet to explore the moments of clarity.
Process and Creation
This piece is a mixed-media installation that combines projected light and found natural materials to cast shadows onto the canvas as the primary visual element. This artwork engages in performance, the shifting canvas providing dynamism to the piece, prioritizing the importance and interplay of natural forces. The piece explores the liminal space between movement and stillness, capturing the interstitial time that occurs when the wind rustles the immeasurable number of tree branches into complex configurations. The use of projected light and found natural materials to cast shadows mirrors the fleeting nature of thought and the moments of clarity that arise in the impermanence. The interplay of light and form invites contemplation on transience and the ethereal nature of passing time where specters of movement become symbols for the elusive nature of thought.
As the piece evolved, the scope shifted to incorporate new, and at-times, unexpected developments. This artwork began as a solo effort but shifted to heavy collaboration with classmates, who advocated for the incorporation of taller found materials with pruning applied to specific sections of the twigs to create intentional shapes to cast shadows. In addition, various class members provided found materials to include in the piece. Initially this piece was intended to be viewed after sunset using projected artificial light to conjure harsh shadows. Following installation during the early dusk hour, divine providence intervened with the sun shifting downward above the adjacent tree line providing an abundance of rich natural light casting shadows onto the canvas. At this revelation, I decided to convene the class to view the experience in the brief window of time before the sun became obscured by the trees.
In addition to this expedited viewing time, the class contributed to and expanded upon the intended scope of the piece. Once the class members viewed the piece, they began encircling the canvas, projecting their own shadows onto the surface, echoing the mechanical function of the zoetrope. The layered shadows of each participant transitioned the framing of individual thought into a collaborative, dynamic composition. Every person’s movement around the canvas ritualized the work, changing it from solitary moments of clarity toward a shared narrative of collaborative continuity.
