Letting Silence be a Measure of Sense Sculpture

I consider myself a painter, though I purposefully use a broad range of media. My consciousness and critique of painting can also manifest in sculptural terms. My most recent artworks deal with both the visual Art object and sound in the greater context of its silence. These share a symbiosis in my kinetic sound sculptures. My work is driven and charged with the constantly changing activities of our perception and questions the ways in which we experience Art. In the role of painter, I produce "˜language paintings' which are critical attempts to understand painting through mark-making and elementary imagery with a vocabulary of shapes and symbols. Often there is an interchange, particularly visually, between my paintings and sculptures. I frequently question my role as an artist when engaged in my practice, especially towards the sound sculptures, as they become creators themselves. My theoretical studies are integral to my practical work and I am well informed of the discourse and cultural context surrounding it. The work of John Cage, Jean Tinguely and Max Eastley, among others, feature as core influences and forge the questioning to fuel my practice. I wish to contribute knowledge in researching the dynamics of our perception as we experience Fine Art and its disciplines. Is the visual image, although silent and still, modified in surrounding sounds? Investigating the complexities of silence and our response to it is a key direction. Discourse in silence is dominated by the ideas and work of John Cage. At the same time Marcel Duchamp pioneered the thinking of sound not being a time-based Art but a space Art. Does the act of listening suggest that I am moving within the changeable parameters of an auditory object? These ideas are evaluated largely through my current studio practice and the dialogue between my paintings and sound sculptures. My most recent written study is primarily concerned with these ideas, titled, "˜The Constant Stream Of Now - Investigating the dynamics of sound in Art and our perception, alongside the silence and stillness of traditional oil painting and sculpture.' Within this study I seek to bring forth evidence revealing the mechanics of seeing and listening as our senses fall upon Fine Art. I anticipate my work taking a more monumental standing, exactly how, I am unsure but I feel further articulation in the area of sculpture is necessary.