Musical Force Fields
- Linda Gilbert
- Mar 28, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 1, 2022
March 2022
This suite of 21 small works continues my explorations into Earth’s unseen energies, along with experiments into scale and perspective.
The materials used are rock stock, Japanese sumi-e paper, graphite, charcoal, ink and acrylic paint.
The paintings are variable in size, with the largest being 30 x 40cm.
The ideas I am working with are big - Earth’s magnetism and diamagnetism, and human magneto reception (a latent sense that assists geolocation and way finding).
It has been an interesting, perhaps perverse, exercise to attempt to manifest these big, ideas about intangible forces, as small scale material surfaces.
In late 2021 I visited the City Gallery in Wellington to see Hilma af Klint, The Secret Paintings. Just as moving was the exhibition Pages of Mercury featuring drawings of the moon by the late New Zealand Modernist Painter Rita Angus. Contemporary New Zealand artists Seraphine Pick and Andrew Beck responded to these drawings and they were exhibited together. There were drawings and paintings of varying sizes and style arranged in a non-linear, but meaningful way. On reflection, the curation and content of that show has clearly made an impact. My paintings reflect ideas about macro and micro perspectives as they relate to the Earth and its many moods, or energies. Some of the images were made after the the massive electrical storm that hit Northland in mid March 2022. Another responds to the climate emergency. Others reflect the quiet, diamagnetic limestone found around the Kaipara and at Waipu Caves. To me limestone environments exude calm and peaceful energy.
Each piece has it’s own palette, tone and style. The unifying features are mainly their size and the mediums used, but each has a role to play. They need each other, just as the diverse musical instruments that play together in an orchestra do.
As the conductor of this orchestra I am experimenting with different arrangements. The sketch below outlines some preliminary ideas. I’m considering the idea of a 'French Hang'. Improvisation will certainly be involved as I am not familiar with the space we are to show in. There are 3 other students I will share the space with. We need to collaborate according to the works we are exhibiting. The light, space, size of works, how they look alongside each other are all aspects we need to consider as we install.
Curation and conducting have much in common.
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