9 March 05
Exploring negative space
Kurt over at A Blog is a Happening has an interesting piece today on erasure. He was working on a charcoal portrait last night and he started with a darkened sheet and erased highlights to form the image. It’s an interesting piece on the challenge of self-knowledge.
My own exploration this morning of the negative spaces between these rose leaves is prompting thoughts about edges, and how edges can more exciting than essence (or actually define the essence). Nothing about this is original, but it’s satisfying to come to these realizations by means of graphite.
(The ground squirrels outside my window are very conscious of edges; for the males, most of their life is happening on the edge just now, as they guard it with their lives. I’m starting to see wounds: it’s a bloody business.)
And then a look at the Incomplete Manifesto by Bruce Mau makes me question my work, and how I often opt for a safe design because I’m in a hurry. Best not, I think. Tarry in the negative spaces a bit more… Get a bit bloody. I think… our life depends on it.
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“Capture accidents. The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process. Ask different questions.”
“Drift. Allow yourself to wander aimlessly. Explore adjacencies. Lack judgment. Postpone criticism.”
“Collaborate. The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.”