Trace - an element of doubt

Traces are everywhere

Marian Bijlenga, Sampler dots (with red), 2004, dyed horsehair, fabric

This is what Sue Clarke says about Marian's work on her blog...

I find Bijlenga’s work interesting because it’s almost entirely made of holes, with small elements held together by horsehair and appearing to float in space. They’re always mounted a pin’s length away from the wall, and never behind glass. There’s always the slight possiblity of movement, and the shadows play a significant part too.

She [Marian] writes: ‘For me, holes are not empty. When I see holes, for example on a leaf, I see the trace made by a parasite. Holes are leftovers from things that happened before. Holes in my work form new shapes.’ All her work is held together by holes, spaces that make something out of nothing, or out of an absence.

I have found that the idea of trace is present in so many of the investigations being done by other students - Agot is looking at stains and what they represent, Treld is looking at memory - and now Sue's holes and perforations are 'leftovers from things that happened before'.

posted by Lynda Cornwell @ 10:15 pm