“Silicon is the eighth most common element in the universe by mass, but very rarely occurs as the pure element in the Earth’s crust. It is most widely distributed in dusts, sands, planetoids, and planets as various forms of silicon […]
“It’s life Jim – but not as we know it!” may be a famous mis-quote from the TV series Star Trek in an episode[1] of the sci-fi drama which explored the existence of a previously unknown life form. The story […]
To start with it seemed to me that in this complex world, my rock was literally a solid base on which I could anchor my thoughts – as Richard Dawkins says: “In the beginning was simplicity”; before anything else existed […]
“Animism is the belief that objects, places and creatures all possess a spirit or soul. Believers in animism potentially perceive all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork and perhaps even words—as animated and alive.” It is said to […]
So I freely admit, I seemed to have become a bit fixated on my rock for all those years. I had clung to it through thick and thin, couldn’t seem to get it out of my mind. It had become […]
“Chemists have tried to imitate the chemical conditions of the young earth. They have put these simple substances in a flask (water, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen) and supplied a source of energy such as ultraviolet light or electric sparks. After a few weeks […]
Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene[1] describes how he thinks life began on earth: “In the beginning was simplicity… Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is satisfying because it shows us a way in which simplicity could change into […]
Cont’d from last time: “Sadly my frog is definitely, permanently dead.” But maybe my rock is not dead – it just appears to have no life. Some years ago I visited artist Andy Holden’s exhibition, Laws of Motion in a […]
A hazy blue stillness. Nothing moves. Until a sudden ripple disturbs the soupy water, stirs the suspended particles. Powerful legs propel the creature through the water and paddle madly as the alarmed frog attempts to secrete itself in a dark […]
In my first post for this blog back in March I wrote about The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins’ theories about the origins of life, and the “exceedingly improbable” occurence of The Replicator – a molecule which had the ability to […]
I had a few moments of doubt and distraction this week. I was thinking about what my next print should be. My mind began to wander to all the loose ends and unresolved works I’ve made over the years and […]
Revisiting ideas from a long period of research, I’m beginning at The Beginning, in fact at the very beginnings of life. In his book, The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins theorises about the origins of life, when, in the primeval soup […]
Bringing together ideas about growth, transmutation and evolution in a period of rapid social, political, environmental and technological change. Image above: “Blood Music” from a collaboration with photographer Vicki Painting.
