Elizabeth Knowles Natural
patterns inspire my work. Some are the biological patterns on the cellular
level of organisms. Others are the geological patterns of the earth's natural
landscapes. As
patterns replicate on differing scales, my work
derives from a fascination with the fractal aspect of life forms. An irregular or fragmented configuration can
be repeated over and over again with each part containing the same structure as
the whole. Similar patterns that recur progressively in smaller scales describe
seemingly random phenomena such as crystal growth or galaxy formation.
The
unfolding of life is forever present in fractal patterns. Patterns expand back into each and into
themselves. In addition, fractal
structures reveal a frozen moment in time depicting the transition between
order and chaos or life and death. Through site-specific installation and sculpture, I
explore how dynamic patterns connect landscapes and life forms, physiology and physics,
death and detritus, growth and form.
Starting
with the most simple and building to the more complex, my creative process
becomes a recreation of the interaction of different levels of life. I begin with one small component and then mechanically
connect one fundamental element with another and another and another until a more
intricate whole is formed. This process
echoes the progression of one cell grouping together with other cells to
develop into a more elaborate organism.
Fractal
structures define life's patterns both figuratively and metaphorically. Whether
the meandering journey of sperm to egg, a chain of DNA, the lines on the palm
of a hand, or the more symbolic branches of a family tree or the recursive
structures of language and thought, our lives can be interpreted as series of
non-linear transformations of organic structures unfolding in space. Ranging
from the atomistic to larger organizational systems, the study of patterns
reveals the complex interface between the various levels of life and the
mysterious connection between them.
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