Materials: indigo dyed cotton, marigold, cochineal, sulphur cosmo dyed cotton, laser etched cotton, cotton thread black walnut, dried marigolds
Text laser etched in Walnut frame, adapted by Rusk from William Blake; “Everything has its own vortex, and when once a traveler through Eternity has passed that vortex she perceives it to roll backward and behind, Her path, into a globe itself infolding like a sun, or like a moon, or like a moon of starry majesty. As the eye of the Primordial She views both east and west encompassing its vortex. Thus is the earth one infinite plane and not as apparent to the weak traveler confined beneath the moony shade.”
This piece carries practices that have been present for the last 6000 years, it also carries practices that have been developed in the last century. The disciplines of natural dye, embroidery and sashiko are time consuming, thoughtful, and deliberate. To speak in this language is to speak thoughtfully and with conviction. In contrast, laser etching is precise, accurate, and immediate. Laser etched in the outer wings of this design, is a pattern adapted from Rene Descartes speculating the contents of the universe. These voronoi diagrams were once speculation on the universe, the unknown, and looking to the future. Now they have applications in cartography, biology, computer science, statistics, archaeology, and architecture. The depicted images marry alchemical drawings from the 17th century with contemporary illustrations, centering on the themes of rebirth, technology, ecology, and infinity. This piece finds balance in the old adage “Festina lente”, encouraging us to make haste slowly and look to the past as move towards the future.
Baltimore, MD 04–07–2024