Tango and Interconnectedness

 Biomorphic/Hylomorphic Sculpture explores Form and Function

What are Forms? When does a form become a shape? Is there a difference? When do shapes interconnect to form patterns, and in turn when do patterns suggest configurations? Are we

beginning a journey exploring the interpretation of shapes and patterns, turning forms into stories with associations and even hidden meaning? When and how does a collection of stars become a constellation?

 The following kind of questions arise: ‘What is this shape good for?’, ‘Can it function as something useful?’, or ‘Does it have a quality that pleases’, ‘Is it a tool for a particular purpose?’ Are we moving into the territory of signs and symbols, specifically designed to portray an identity or send a pictorial message? Is it merely a decoration or does it have some deeper purpose? This is the point where the question “What function does a sculpted piece of matter have?” comes into focus.

Matter, now there’s an interesting word. Originally Aristotle the Greek philosopher used the term hyle (Greek for wood) as a generic term for substance from which ‘things’ are made; the Latin philosophers translated hyle as materia to indicate a meaning which was more than made by hand (“manu (hand)-factured (made))”. They cast any substance to be shaped into a function in the role that a mother (mater) plays in conception. Hence the origins of both the nouns material and matter, which we use today to denote everything from fabric to the term ‘matter’ in the scientific sense of the word.

This is where the concept of Hylomorphism comes into the story. Aristotle promoted the metaphysical view according to which every natural body consists of two intrinsic principles, one potential, and one actual; both are united in every physical entity, or being, as a compound of matter (potency) and finished form (actuality). The idea that everything physical is made up of the same basic substance holds up well under modern science, although it may be thought of more in terms of fields of energy/matter. Another way of viewing this is the visible body is motivated/animated/brought to life by the invisible spirit/soul.

In my work wood is the original inspiration as the individual pieces attract my attention and they are put up to season. In other words, as they emerge as finished work, they have illustrated the basic principle of Hylomorphism in that they have been through a journey from being in a potential state to becoming an actual sculpture. The story of their growth from seed to tree is literally ingrained within their very fabric. However, to make the form more widely available for more people to enjoy we are now going biomorphic; the original wood version is scanned and printed to a flexible scale, which can be larger or smaller. The 3D print serves as the equivalent of the medieval printing press, allowing a reproduction process of the original to begin for distribution to a wider audience

We are now going into a new phase, equivalent to the revolution of the printing press following the Renaissance. An appreciation of dimensions helps to understand what’s going on. Put simply in a condensed form everything starts with a point, the smallest and single most mark that any hand can make. This is described as zero D, the revolutionary integer invented in India to represent No thing and written as an O; we start with O D and move on the first dimension, 1D, which is represented as two points joined by a line. Then we move on to the 2 D represented as a square with two parallel lines joined in equal lengths to each other. The 3^rd dimension, 3 D, is represented by a cube with six squares making up its outline.

We are now in the territory of 3 D printing. Without going further into 4 D, which opens up the possibility of space/time dimensions and takes us into the theoretical fields of relativity which Albert Einstein pioneered, we can now explore the technical process of moulding and casting. This has been practised from time immemorial going back into the Bronze Age. A malleable material which can be “set” is used to take the inverse shape of the form desired for reproduction. This inverse shape serves as a vessel along the lines expressed in the saying “the purpose and value of the pot or amphora is created by the volume of its emptiness”.

In other words, a mould is created that can then serve to shape the form desired by pouring in a liquid which can then in turn be cast or ‘set’ as a solid reproduction. This in turn can then be ‘patinated’ or decorated with a finish which highlights its characteristics.

This process of using a pattern for the faithful reproduction of an original design gets translated into a description of psychological mindsets with words like paradigm, illustrating a recognisable template for thought processes and compositions. Grammar (a system of language rules) and syntax (which focusses on word order and structure) reflect the mental

equivalent of moulding and casting in language communicating meaningful expression as per specific linguistic conventions. These evolve according to the influences of national boundaries, regional variations and specialised slang in different age groups and occupations.

In the same way that the characteristics of an individual tree within a collective wood or forest are determined by genetic inheritance shaped by the environmental factors specific to that location, the way someone speaks or expresses themselves is subject to a similar Nature/Nurture/Cultural conditioning. Organic forms evolve as function responds to situation and the individual profile emerges subject to potential revealing itself. This is a process that involves the transformation of kinetic growth and into actual timber with its personalised grain features. This is Hylomorphism in practice even before any sculptural input has been made. The added input of a sculptor’s impression on the raw material further develops the Hylomorphic theme.

The two entwined serpents of the staff of Hermes, also known as the Caduceus, are a classical symbol for healing, medicine and his role as a messenger for the Gods. As recently as the 1950’s it was discovered that the Double Helix, two entwined spiral threads otherwise known as a twisted ladder, embody the structure for the transmission of DNA. DNA is the means by which genetic information is passed on from one generation to the next, the Nature half of the Nature/Nurture equation. The names of the stars and constellations in the night sky are taken from stories of antiquity, as are the names of the planets. Again, we have a blend of ancient and modern, myth and science when it comes to how natural phenomena are identified and classified.

As the seed germinates and develops into a sapling, a tree with a sturdy trunk and root system, flowering, pollinating and spreading seed, it is subject to all manner of conditions and influences. Rooted to the spot it derives nutrition from the minerals of its place on earth, the photosynthesis of the sunlight through its leaves, and the seasonal cycles of the moon and the sun. The variety of weather conditions from wind, rain and extremes of temperature all are recorded in the very fibre which make up the grain of the wood. This is the story of the tree’s life, its organic autobiography. Gravitational orbits, magnetic forces, energy fields,

atmospheres, wavelengths, vibrations all have their influence on the mass and matter of the eventual timber.

Now here comes the artist with a unique combination of attention, intention and self-expression. What subject matter is inherent in the sculptor’s imagination, storylines of myth and meaning, angelic messengers announcing archetypes and dreams as operatic arisings from unconscious sources, exuberant expansion of interconnected gateways, ganglia and neural networks firing up impulses through ascending reticular formations

 Storylines of Myth and Meaning, Dreams as Operatic Arisings from Unknown Sources, Angelic Messengers Announcing Archetypes, Complete Cohesion of the Whole Gestalt, Encounter, Engagement and Conscious Enthusiasm. Attention, Intention, Extension, Expression, Expansion, Exuberance, Interconnected Gateways of Ganglia and Neural Networks, Ascending Reticular Formations. Portals, Paths and Possibilities, Signs, Semantics, Significance and Purpose. Truth, Harmony and BEAUTY