Rhizoming: Grass Variations Series 1

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.

Tuesday 2 July 2013

Grass Variations Series 1

The Grass Variations developed from a residency at Megalo in 2012. My aim was to continue to investigate the way grasses activate a ground. I played in the lithography workshop doing many experiments with lithographic washes and colour reduction printing. I used various grasses to make the marks on the stone by dipping them in tusche and either leaving them on the stone to dry or drawing with them. I printed up many variations in different colours aiming to collage with the prints later. I aimed for an 'event' rather than an 'image'.

The theme of variations was inspired by the Bach variations where Bach developed 30 variations from one aria. I had hoped to bring this 'song' to Gundaroo Common but since being in Kununurra I realise it is just one more imposition on the land. I would need to work with a musician to create a new song.

The grasses and prints extend my idea of rhizoming where the litho stone acts as a ground for creation and the prints peel off and activate sites away from the original. In these collages I continue to pursue the concept of 'ground' on 'ground' where each element is a ground in its own right and shifts in its position as you gaze at it. It works well as a series as the elements are obviously in different locations and sequences in the works. Individually they are subtler and require time to think about what lies behind the top layer. I also intend them to play with the concept of the near and far put forward by Edward Casey in his theories of Place. The object in front is considered the nearest due to our experience of being in place and learning where objects are positioned. My work aims to challenge this and to reconsider our position on the ground. If the dirt is closer to us than the rhizome, then where are we being positioned?

The shadows are from wood cut prints developed on Gundaroo Common. They have formed themselves and make their presence felt in the land.