Dimensions and Senses

Following on from the before I want to set the scene for my approach to being a sculptor. There are two main aspects to the process which involve the exploration of dimensions through the faculties of the senses. I take the liberty of indulging in some amateur psychology about the process of perception as follows: 

Dimensions: AI Overview tells us that "the word refers to measurements of an object’s size (length, width, height) or the number of coordinates needed to locate a point in space. The term can also mean the scope, aspect, or quality of something, such as the psychological dimension of a story or the economic dimensions of a project". The word originates from the Latin dimetiri to measure out; however over and above the ‘objective’ activity of measuring out, as a sculptor, or artist of any kind, the interest is in the subjective experience of the work.

This focus on experience extends way beyond measurement and explores at least six dimensions to begin with, namely: 

Three in space (length, width, height), coordinates, GPS etc 

Three in time (past, present, future), timelines, memory and projections, recognition and association. 

Furthermore, the experience of the intersection of these dimensions is unique to each person according to their interpretation of the subject, and the mindset or quality of attention they invest in the process. William Blake “As a man is, so he sees”. This is all determined by a variety of factors including the senses in the first instance, and the lens of the cultural conditioning through which the subject is being perceived.  

The emotional aspect of experience is the foundation of any response, reaction or interaction with the work presented, and the feeling it embodies is the source of meaning and significance. The five senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell convey the initial impression to the awareness of the audience, the viewer, the participants. 

They in turn interpret what is being perceived through a sixth sense called Proprioception, which senses physical awareness and coordination, a seventh which modern neuroscience calls Interoception, communication between the body’s organs and the brain, and an eight the Vestibular system, sensing balance and spatial awareness. 

So, before I lose anyone struggling to appreciate all this, the point is that Art can take many forms and appeal to a whole range of sensations, imaginations and interpretations. Abstract, Representational, Conceptual. The recognition and projection of feelings, states and aesthetic values and references all come into the mix. 

In my case it is a journey which begins with discovering the natural forms within a piece of wood that attract specific familiarity and attention to a sense of harmony, rhythm and relationship with Nature. An invocation to the spirit within that resonates in accordance with intuitive archetypes buried in the unconscious origins of our hearts, minds and souls.