I have been looking at the works of Mira Schendel (1919-1988) recently, mainly to get inspiration for my current project.
The works I have been examining mix graphic design with illustrative/fine art qualities. Created on rice paper using cheap materials mixed with talc and brick dust to create paint, there is a delicate quality to her work which reminds me of cells under a microscope. This technique gives the viewer an almost voyeuristic gaze, whereby the letters (or cells), if only in your mind, move about in the way a microscopic environment will.
The rice paper is so diaphanous that you can see anything printed on the back, or on a separate sheet behind the first. The natural palette of colours on the paper, lend themselves to an almost clinical look.
The whole body of work has a lot of similarities with the Babel project. The words are mish-mash of the Brazilian language, yet to someone who doesn't know Portugeuse, they are just letters that form no discernible meaning, much like the books in The Library of Babel.
No comments:
Post a Comment