Concept
THE ROOM
a square or rectangular room ( approx. 3 X 6 metres )
walls three metres high
two doors at opposite ends of one wall
two heaters free-standing or on opposite walls
windows covered
vents in ceiling
spotlight rail on ceiling
colour of walls - dark red ( Dulux 1080 Y7OR )
floor either wooden or painted grey with dark red carpet tiles forming a rectangular walkway
OUTSIDE ROOM
Two small changing rooms, one outside each door.
This will allow one person to disrobe or dress while another is in the gallery room.
MOMENTUM VERITATIS
Five years ago I began work on the project "Momentum Veritatis". Initially I set out with brush and ink to explore the possibilities of a blank sheet of paper. To begin the brush is full of ink. The drawing is finished when the brush is dry. The drawings were created within the lifespan of a brush of ink. Each mark was a preconscious spontaneous response to the previous one. Each drawing represented a life which is finite and determined by the amount of ink the brush will hold.
As the drawings evolved there were significant changes in what they were about. There was a move from a
subconscious to a conscious meaning. A further change came about with the death of my mother, three years ago. The drawings became more about life and death and in a positive sense facing one's own mortality. The composition changed from rectangular to circular and I no longer felt constrained to limit the drawings to one brush full of ink. The closed rectangle of the earlier works was now transformed into a circle of infinite possibilities floating within the page.
During the first years work an idea took shape for how these drawings should be presented. Subsequently how the
drawings were to be viewed became as important as the drawings themselves. To view the drawings a person must first enter a changing room, disrobe and then proceed on into the gallery room. The red walls of the gallery will create a warm womblike space and will help counteract the
vulnerability of being nude. Viewing the drawings will be a solitary experience. The viewer brings nothing from the
outside world with them. Being unclothed and alone with the drawings is intended to be a positive experience, giving them a sense of calm peace as they experience the moment of truth ( Momentum Veritatis ) and a sense of the unknown.
I see the drawings in the installation as being both site
specific and time specific as the project is ongoing. They will be shown unframed, mounted on light wooden batons, hanging kitelike from the ceiling, about 10cm out from the wall.
Gerard Cox 2001
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