Light leaf: Observations of leaves in light, 2021
“The characteristic of arousing surprise for the observer is typical for the so-called Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities. These are real rooms of wonders where, in an undifferentiated mix of art and science, of naturalia and artificialia, the most unusual finds are associated with all sorts of man-made works, rarities, and wonders.”
During times of social distancing due to the Covid-19Pandemic, I have thought a lot about play and observation. Asking myself, what it means to be playfully curious? I would like to think I always adhere to a playful mindset and that I practice critical observation of my surroundings.After all, this attitude is the foundation of my art practice – a practice that I see as a way of being and a major philosophy of my life. The pandemic certainly tested this attitude and perhaps spawned a renewed focus – an opportunity to sharpen that focus and an important reminder to not lose sight and take for granted all that surrounds us.
We have seen as a collective society that when our daily routines and comforts are disrupted, we can let it get the better of us. Rather than being inconvenienced, a silver lining of this pandemic, that I found, was an opportunity to slow down. It is vital to find opportunities to slow down –as the old saying goes: Stop and smell the roses. New attitudes toward life or stressful situations can be born – new things to see, discover and learn.
For me, spending time in isolation yielded some interesting findings, as I began to closely observe the various leaves that engulf my backyard. Every new day brought with it a new detail, a subtlety with every shift in light, revealing an endless array of abstractions, textures and colors. I was seeing the hidden life of leaves dancing in the sunlight.Naturally, I began documenting my observations.
In a romantic yet heartbreaking sense, I was attempting to find light in the darkness of the pandemic. What I found was a cabinet or wall of wonders and wanted to present my findings as such. My backyard or better yet– our world – is a giant cabinet of wonder. A curious collection of things,objects, artifacts and specimens all waiting to be observed, discovered and perhaps, rediscovered.
Initially, I did not set out to give each finding or each piece in this collection of works a title. I was given the opportunity to present my observations in a book like fashion and decided to name each image.Giving them context – a sort of identification, and revisit something I had read.
“Those collections of exotica showcase nature’s best and most beautiful, from ostrich eggs to narwhal tusks. They also demonstrate what man can do with nature. He can, for instance, prepare, stuff and mount the skins of animals with such lifelike effect that it’s impossible to separate nature from the work of his own hand. Organizing unknown flowers in a herbarium is another example. That’s empiricism versus nature. Does a plant even exist if it’s never been given a scientific name? What if a goldsmith transforms a rare shell into an elegant piece of tableware? Who is the ultimate artist then? And what if we drink from a gold-lidded nautilus shell standing on a golden foot? Are we then putting nature on a pedestal? Do we award the laurels to the inventiveness of creation? Or are we trying to emulate or even surpass nature with our human ingenuity and craftsmanship? That is the covert contest in this collection of exotica: who is the greatest artist of the universe: nature or man? Who imitates whom? And which is making a fool of the other?”
Thought provoking take on the natural vs. the artificial or man-manipulated. We have a curious desire to observe and understand nature but,at times, intent on putting our own stamp on things by classifying, organizing and often mimicking. I wonder, do we urge to dominate– “surpass” nature? Or are we just continuously attempting to understand where we fit in?
Mokrohajská,C., 2020. What is a Wunderkammer? Best Cabinets of Curiosities | DailyArt. [online] DailyArtMagazine.com - Art History Stories. Available at:<http://www.dailyartmagazine.com/cabinets-of-curiosities/>
Demeulemeester,T., 2017. Wunderkammer: An Exotic Journey Through Time. 1st ed. Tielt: Lannoo Publishers.