What is the fourth dimension?

There are many theories as to what the fourth dimension may be, whether it is time, light or other. How we understand space also plays are huge part in what we imagine the fourth dimension to be. We live in a world where there are only three dimensional things, therefore it is difficult for us to be able to understand how to visualise it, or how it even is constructed. A great book to read to understand how we visualise and interpret space is Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions  by Edwin A. Abbott. This influenced my comprehension and approach to the subject through my work. If dimensions run on a pattern, it is thought by some that a tesseract would be formed, though this is just a theory.

                    

In my studio practice, visualising what the fourth dimension could be has become of great importance. I want my work to not only be three dimensional, but also contain elements of what could be considered the fourth dimension to be. Through experimentation I feel it could be time, and I want my work to be ever changing and constantly evolving. Using matt emulsion on folded canvas has become centre of my attention at the moment, and emulsion can be seen as unsuitable for paintings, as it is known to flake and crack, meaning the work will most likely need to be restored much sooner than other substances, for example oil paint. I want my work to be constantly changing over time, more paint peeling and flaking and adding to the pile of paint shavings on the ground below itself. This work can potentially become a timeless, ever changing, three dimensional painting, therefore can this represent the fourth dimension?

I hope to continue experimenting with other theories and try to incorporate them within my work, for example light and space. I hope for my work to evolve into something that represents my understanding of the fourth dimension.

Bringing origami and layers of paint together.

This was done by layering paint on canvas, many times with multiple colours in order for the paint to physically take up space and become very thickly coated. Once dry I folded the painted canvas into the same folded pattern as previously in order to see what differences it would have compared to the original unpainted one (See previous post). The results were varied on the different experiments I undertook, particularly due to dissimilar types of paint used. Regular household paint was one that I found most intriguing, as is it is a chalk based paint, it cracked and fell off in layers and clumps. It was an uncontrollable reaction that had an element of surprise involved that was out of my control. On other examples I used mixed media which involved peeling and cracking together, as well as some just peeling, and some not being affected at all. An example of a finalised piece completed in early 2014 is shown below.

 The black and blue paint underneath the white emulsion breaks through the cracks, and the black satin paint peels giving the piece an opening effect, exaggerating the layers underneath. I began to work with only household emulsion, limiting myself to only primary colours, influenced from Mondrian (Blue, Yellow, Red, Black and White). I layered even more paint on canvas and folded it, flattening it again afterwards. I kept all the paint that has cracked off in hope that I will use it for something else, perhaps in conjunction with the piece itself. The amount of cracked paint is substantial, and I think reinforces the concept of how the paint physically takes up an unexpected amount of space.

Folding to create mass.

     Origami is a technique which has become an important component in my work. It grew from my interest in layers of paint, and realising that a sheet of paper can lie flush against a wall or surface. I found that many sheets upon each other become a physical mass, and I feel this was a significant breakthrough for my work, and became one of the main techniques I now use when producing paintings.

     One piece of flat paper can be folded into a range of shapes, which consequently become three dimensional shapes. Each individual piece takes up physical space, reflects light in different ways and for me, allows me to consider the space behind it, as well as the space it takes up and interacts with.

     From this I wanted to incorporate traditional painting materials such as canvas and paint, and attempted to find a way of folding canvas while manipulating it to retain its shape once constructed. I explored a range of materials on the canvas such as paint, varnish, glue, rabbit skin glue, starch, primers and many more to produce the desired effect. I found that rabbit skin glue was the most effective and created a crisp surface that was rigid enough to preserve this once folded.

     I began to work on a larger scale, and this is something I produced earlier in the year.

How I became interested in spatial representation and understanding.

Currently I am studying fine art at Grays School of Art, specialising in painting. I am now in my final year, concentrating on the understanding and representation of spatial awareness. I began looking into this last year in third year, and it all stemmed from the idea of painting a room. Listening to someone say that painting a room a certain colour will make it look bigger is something that I can relate to as it does sometimes give us the illusion of a greater or smaller space. Generally people believe that a white room looks bigger than a dark coloured one, though when thinking about painting a room over with another colour I find myself considering the space that the paint will consume. Layers and layers of paint will partially have an effect on the size of the room, as each layer will contribute to the walls becoming thicker with each coating. I begin to feel as if the room will eventually become significantly smaller than originally. It is this thought that grasped my attention and one that has had a great impact on my outcomes throughout last year.