The Question of Titles
During the show and listen I presented at on the 27th November I choose to not title the work that I presented. This was intentional as I wanted to see what the reaction was, and the resulting reaction was quite interesting.
There seemed to be a sense of disappointment to begin with but as time went on this issue began to instigate questions, and the doubt caused by the lack of title kept up the intrigue. Though titles are a traditional element and a practical tool I see a certain amount of negativity in the limitations the title brings. A title needs to be properly considered if it is to avoid placing the art work in certainty. I do not want certainty in my work, instead I wish to leave the audience with a dialectic query. I want them to decide for themselves.
In the past I have tried to use fairly cryptic or poetic titles to achieve this. for example I have been exploring a series of pinprick works that loosely fall under the title 'The Beginning of the Shape.'
There seemed to be a sense of disappointment to begin with but as time went on this issue began to instigate questions, and the doubt caused by the lack of title kept up the intrigue. Though titles are a traditional element and a practical tool I see a certain amount of negativity in the limitations the title brings. A title needs to be properly considered if it is to avoid placing the art work in certainty. I do not want certainty in my work, instead I wish to leave the audience with a dialectic query. I want them to decide for themselves.
In the past I have tried to use fairly cryptic or poetic titles to achieve this. for example I have been exploring a series of pinprick works that loosely fall under the title 'The Beginning of the Shape.'
'The Beginning of the Shape(-1)'
2010
Pin pricks in card
This Titles origin is from Morphogenesis,
'Morphogenesis (from the Greek morphê shape and genesis creation, literally, "beginning of the shape") is the biological process that causes an organism to develop its shape. It is one of three fundamental aspects of developmental biology along with the control of cell growth and cellular differentiation.'
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphogenesis
Which I had been reading about at the time, or at least trying to read about, (Connelly.T, Brinkley. L, Carlson. B 1981 Morphogenesis and Pattern Formation. Raven Press, New York.) The works and series are not about Morphogenesis, but during the making I was thinking about it, and by chance the literal translation of the Greek had this wonderful feel to it. it actually feels a bit of a shame to reveal this origin story, as reminding myself of it seems to spoil the poetic element of the title alone. Though I suppose its necessary!
I find that poetics is a very valuable aspect for my work, though there is the very present physical process that draws the audience in, the work is not just the process, I feel that the surfaces as a whole have an otherly quality to them, they are not just a mass of holes in card or ink on paper. they could be something else. some have referred to them as planets, microscope images, flowing water. I m quite frequently reminded of the seas of Solaris in Stanislaw Lem's "Solaris"(1961).
I think its important that this quality is free to be explored. I want the viewer to experience for themselves,to find a personal meaning and not come to an absolute conclusion.
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