Blue Triangle Red Circle Yellow Square Painting

Overlaid geometric shapes in stencilled translucent glazes of primary colours. The slide puzzle configuration is moved between applications of layers resulting in broken images that cannot be resolved collectively, only in isolation. Inspired by the sliding '8 puzzle'. The '8 puzzle' was invented in the late nineteenth century at a time when popular preoccupations were more concerned with the spiritual and esoteric. As such it represents the early popularising of gamification and computational logic in the public imagination. The sortation of this simple grid has much in common with the visual and interactive nature of modern app design and the idea that through continuous sorting and filtering of images, products, potential partners etc we can attain some form of fulfilment. Favourable outcomes are seemingly made inevitable by the belief that measurable, rational methods are the only reliable means to achieve them. By layering numerous competing and incompatible images, patterns, symbols etc within these pieces it is impossible to arrive at a wholly satisfactory outcome. Conversely some elements of the work may be unavoidable regardless of configuration, reflecting a sense of futility and inevitability. Each of these pieces is shipped with hanging strips so they are ready for installation and endless rehanging afterwards to explore their 362,880 permutations.