As my ongoing exploration of ‘the fragment’ in my MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy course at Central Saint Martins, I have been working on some collages and montages in my studio. These are specifically related to the idea of the collection of dreams, imaginings, transformation and the search for unity. For the artwork I have included here I have written a short performative piece of writing that both grew out of the resulting image but also inspired it in the first instance – the linearity of time becoming subverted and elusive.
I imagine a vista. Green lush ferns and native New Zealand bush stretch out before me high up on a hill, overlooking the sea and the sky beyond. The blues shimmer and merge and it’s hard to tell where the vastness of the sea ends and the expanse of the sky begins. The more I look, the more the scene transforms in front of me, shifting from sea and sky to small islands and waterways and back again to the glistening of the sea and never-ending sky.
I lie on the ground, imagining a bed beneath me in the warmth of the afternoon sun. There is a gentle breeze lapping at the edges of my body and I am lulled off to sleep dreaming of old buildings and ancient cities. I am floating within memories of European hotel rooms and comfortable beds with freshly cleaned sheets, resting my legs after exploring the little streets and famous landmarks which blur in my recollections of culture and history.
