Points on my Curve to Find: A Journey around the Self to Find the World

Abstract

My creative practice has undergone a chronological series of transformations that has entailed experiments in several modes of self-expression. This has included the writing of prose-text, lyrics, song-writing, musical performance as a vocalist, work in film-making and visual documentation and work as a visual artist. In a life that has so far spanned living for substantial periods in different countries and cultures, my creative practice has been strongly influenced by that international and inter-cultural existence. Whilst on the one hand, different cultures nevertheless manifest 'languages' of communality with each other (especially in non-verbal communication, global 'signs, signals' and 'symbols'), on the other hand, there are distinctive and specific cultural patterns (and arts outcomes) that serve to delineate differences between one culture and another. My research and practice has been equally divided between a study of both commonalities and 'difference'. Consequently, the two series of works that have been submitted move regularly between dealing with particular and specific focus on forms and ideas embodied in the art-works of several cultures (particularly the first series), and forms and ideas resulting from a kind of introspective and reflective condition of art-making. From the outset of my research, I was concerned with an 'arts/science' set of paradigms- a practice that engaged with and between scientific method and contemporary arts practice. At some point(s), my research took the form of film-maker, Flamenco student; tourist; overseas worker (Namibia), song-writer and lyricist, but none of these modes ultimately formed the nucleus of my outcomes. The visual works submitted are intended to reflect the inter-cultural and cross-disciplinary modality of my practice. But they are also, a 'chronicle' of 'a life'; in this particular case, my own. The written thesis fluxes between reflective study and analysis and a critical evaluation of the sources, influences and techniques embodied by all works in the two series. Naturally, there is always an element of 'travelogue' about both the practical work and the written documentation. But there is also an intentional discourse on and about sources of inspiration and the affect those sources have on form, content and technique in my work as a visual artist.