Introduction​

I ended my previous module with a statement which aimed to encompass several pieces of work. The sentiment might be carried over into these modules and I will begin my work by stating it here.

Within Western culture, the belief persists that human beings are somehow separate from, and superior to, everything else in the universe. We disconnect and isolate objects as well as concepts, and we privilege certain elements over others. This habit infects much of how we understand reality, from the continued acceptance of mind-body dualism to the hyper-valuation of visual in favour of kinetic and audio experiences. And it extends to the way we value each other, rendering certain groups seemingly more or less precious than their neighbours. The language systems which emerge from our societies (including the materials which facilitate them) have reflected and reinforced this perception.

By disrupting and giving value to elements which might historically have been ignored or discarded, the work included in these projects explores where and how this separation of objects, both physical and metaphysical, and specifically in relation to visual culture, manifests itself.

If there is any truth to the claim that all systems must die, this work aims to investigate the death, inevitable chaos and hopeful rebirth as older language systems give way to those that are replacing them

I wrote a proposal which – now I come to look at it again, and as is usual with my stuff – could do with a good edit. I might have begun it with a variation of the last couple of sentences which I’ve placed on my Home page, something like: I aim to begin by focusing on a variety of visual forms and exploring whether or not it is a tyrannical shaper of individuals and societies, even now that it seems less fixed than it might once have done – and try to explore that instability and insecurity surrounding the boundaries of concepts. And I will probably start by examining the language I grew up with – the visual language of actresses and fairy tales and dramas. And I will see where it takes me.

As always at the beginning of any module, I feel daunted.