Background Radiation is an installation made of studio fragments, or detritus of acrylics, plastics, and foams from workings which I collect and display in my studio as revered remnants of the artist's process. This installation stems from a conversation I had with Jim Demetrion, formerly of the Hirshhorn Museum, about his experience with an Anselm Kiefer exhibition there. He said as the crates of work were opened, a significant amount of "painting" had fallen off during transport. While the detritus was thrown away, I recall thinking what had fallen off was somehow significant. Later, I began to draw parallels to a quote from, observational cosmologist, John Huchra stating, "the discovery of (background radiation) was the clincher for the current cosmological model, the hot Big Bang. It opened a window on the universe at a very, very early time enabling astronomers, and physicists to see the initial conditions from which the beauty of the present day cosmos sprang."
Titled and drawn from "background radiation," trace amounts of energy detected in the form of celestial radio signals left over from the Big Bang, I have sought to create a translated representation of the haunting ambience a newly finished work of art emits in my studio as I trace its origins among a surrounding cataclysm. In parallel, both background radiation and studio fragments represent a point in time of tremendous forces of creation. One is the most significant key to understanding the creation of the universe, and the other stems from the uncontrollable artistic energy I am attempting to portray in painting and sculpture. |
