Rhizoming: Becoming Democratic

A rhizome way of thinking

Rhizomes Versus Trees is a theory put forward by Giles Deleuze that articulated a shift I was going through in my drawing. I had been doing horizontal drawings of tree shadows when gradually the ground beneath my paper began to asset itself. I became fascinated in the way that grasses travelled in every direction; they had roots burrowing down, tendrils traversing the surface and stems sprouting into the air. They operated in the way I wanted my drawings to operate; they travel across and open up the surface but they could also reach out into the world of the viewer and include them in their system of operation. They also included the history and political systems reflected on Gundaroo Common, my subject at the time.

Deleuze formulated the framework of rhizomes in order to break away from the western tradition of binary logic to what he thinks of as a more natural system. He states that a rhizome model allows for travel in every direction rather than in a linear fashion “It is composed not of units but of dimensions, or rather directions in motion.” Not only did this apply literally to my drawings on the common, it also refereed to my overall ambition of entering into a cross-cultural dialogue with Indigenous Australians.

In this blog I will discuss images and processes that follow a rhizome model. From the process and development of my research on the site of Gundaroo Common I will show how it responds to propositions seen in the work of artists from different cultures. As Deleuze comments “A rhizome ceaselessly establishes connections between semiotic chains, organizations of power, and circumstances relative to the arts, sciences and social struggles”. In this way I aim to investigate connections with other artists and continue to engage in a dialogue through the Visual Arts.

Saturday 13 April 2013

Becoming Democratic

Becoming a book

Following on the concept of rhizoming, I sewed the panels of Becoming horizontally to make a book for Grahame Gallery + Editions exhibition: Lessons in History Volume II There were originally 56 individual prints arranged in a 7 x 8 grid. Book 1 is the top row of prints sewn together to make an accordion fold-out book. It is with a soft cover and can also be rolled and posted. Two books have been made and sold so far, each being unique. Five more books can be made from the remaining rows of prints.

Artist statement from the Catalogue:

Becoming, Gundaroo Common, Book 1 (2012)

Gundaroo

Before Democracy there was commoning. Villagers had the right to make a form of living from the common in negotiation with other stakeholders. These rights form the basis for the Magna Carta. As the rights of people to make a living without interference by the state has become untenable Hogan started to re-invigorate the concept behind the original idea of commoning. How do we negotiate back our rights?

The native grasses on Gundaroo Common in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales retain the traces of the shifting histories of the land from Indigenous Australians to the arrival of settlers. The grasslands were preserved under the law of commoning and act as a reminder of an ancient way of life. Becoming is an offshoot from the Common and spreads its tendril out into new environments, animating the ground with its message to reclaim the land for the common good of all.

Japanese woodblock with Sumi ink & builders pigment on Kozo. 66.0 x 94.0 x 10.0 cm.

Rhizoming

On Becoming

A rhizome way of thinking

Rhizoming

Saturday 13 April 2013

Becoming Democratic

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