The first video based on the T-cell files is finished. I’ve applied the experimental approach developed for my paintings and prints to the way I create the videos. The process is time-consuming as the outcome is, in a way, materials led and unknown.
Of course I have an idea what I’d like to achieve, but not how to achieve it directly. Most would call it trial and error, but this free way of working always surprises me and results in outcomes I had never imagined.
With regards to the video “AIRE“, following hours of experiments, I feel that one of the first incarnations is the strongest, simple and mesmerising. I like my videos to be the visual equivalent of soundscapes.
But, how does it inform the viewer? I can’t help but let the work develop, almost of its own accord, but ultimately directed by me. So the outcome may be far removed from the original source material – importantly though, the heart of what I do is the desire to create something seductive and beautiful which belies its origin: T-cells which for no obvious reason can attack the body and cause autoimmune diseases such as MS, Type 1 Diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
The meaning of the work may be unclear at the start of the viewing experience, but with the realisation of the profound subject-matter, the sensory experience is complemented and the work given a greater depth.
