(Photo credit: Matthew Stanton and Michael Fromholz respectively)

This functional sculpture is made from Perspex and digital imageries of microscopically magnified substances. The base is made up of a square black Perspex box of 65cm length x 65cm width x 100cm height. The centrepiece is a clear cylinder Perspex of 20 cm in diameter. And inside this clear cylinder stands a triangular two-way mirror Perspex. Concealed in the black Perspex box is a digital tablet that plays the microscopic imageries of the synthetic and organic materials used in my work. This work interplays with antithesis by appropriating an old technology for the creation of a modern “instrument” to connect audiences with contemporary life through our present-day technology. It uses the energy of light and movement to transform matters into fascinating polychromatic patterns. Whilst offering pleasurable visual sensations, this illumination system makes use of contemporary technology to demonstrate how the characteristics of light could be engineered to exhibit an efficient way of creating uniform circuits. The title “Patterned Ground” relates the kaleidoscopic patterns formed by the sculpture to that of the natural patterns of the earth, often symmetrical geometric shapes formed by natural forces. In addition, this title also references the book (edited by Nigel Thrift, Steve Pile and Stephan Harrison) “Patterned Ground” that unravels the entangled relationships between nature and culture. Analogously, this work frames the interdependencies of systems to deliberate on ecological and social interrelationships.