Beyond the Lines of Reason
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After being frequently asked questions about specific aspects of my art, I have decided to include an explanation of the thought process behind my bigger pieces. Below is a brief explanation covering some of the details included in "Beyond the Lines of Reason", but is by no means all of them.
Fibonacci Sequence and PHI:
The layout of this piece uses multiple aspects of the Fibonacci sequence and by extension, Phi, the golden ratio:
A) Fibonacci or Golden Spiral (above, black)
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B) Fibonacci circles (above, red)
These circles have radii measurements equalling to the Fibonacci numbers i.e. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 (in cm). This gives the diameters of the circles a ratio converging to Phi (~1.618034...) to each other.
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C) Golden Rectangle (above, green)
The border between the "inside" of the piece (representing reason/the knowable) and the "outside" (representing the unknowable/the infinite) is a golden rectangle i.e. a rectangle with sides in a ratio of a:a+b (shown above). The actual measurements in the original are a=21 and b=13, giving a ratio of 21:34.
Famously this ratio is described as the measurements of the Ark of the Covenant in Exodus 27:1: "...build an altar of acacia wood, which should be square, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high."
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D) Fibonacci point (above, blue)
The two strands of DNA intersect at the Fibonacci point i.e. the vanishing point of the golden spiral.
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Fibonacci Circles
21. Mars
Symbolising war, in particular the masculine manifestation of war:
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Hawk: Divine sight and war, standing on skulls in front of a serpent. The term "war hawk", or just "hawk", is still used to refer to politicians who encourage war.
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Lambda symbol: The Greek letter 'L' used by the Spartans (Lacedaemonians), a society that is associated with warfare and culture obsessed with combat.
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Alchemical symbol: Older astronomical symbol for Mars, sometimes used as Erde (earth).
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Tools of war: Patterns producing the lambda shape (inverted 'V') consist of spears, arrows, and shields. Roman helmets are placed above this.
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Blombos cave rock art: Immediately below the alchemical symbol, this is one of the earliest examples of cave art (~70,000BCE). It is thought to be depicting a battle/war.
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SETI I Libyan War: Small recreation to the right of the head of the hawk of another cultures' record of war. The original is from the exterior of the Hypostyle Hall within the Karnak temple complex.
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Borders/decoration: The borders and decoration are taken from Ancient Roman and Pompeian styles. Multiple levels of harsh, angular, intrusive borders are used to represent both the insular/protective, and offensive/conquest nature of the warring instinct.
13. Venus
This circle is 13cm in diameter, 13 being a number associated with the motions of the planet Venus. Symbolising peace, in the feminine form:
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Tree: The centre displays one of the oldest and most recognised human symbols of life, abundance, tranquillity. The tree branches form a Fibonacci distribution i.e. split from 1 to 2 to 3 to 5 etc.
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Wreath: Atop the tree is a wreath, symbol of peace.
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Alchemical symbol: to the right of the tree is the symbol of Venus and the feminine.
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"Om" symbol: To the left of the tree is the symbol of unification/harmony in Hinduism representing peace on oneself.
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Borders/decoration: Outer border is perforated, containing openings to the exterior (in contrast to the Mars border). The designs and patterns throughout Venus are mostly found in nature i.e. flowers, leaves, spirals. These are more rounded and of softer angles in comparison to the patterns used in Mars.
8. Mercury
Mercury (Hermes) is commonly seen as the symbol of duality. This is reflected in the number 8, 2x2x2, the diameter in cm of the circle:
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Ouroboros: Like the tree in Venus, the snake is a universal human symbol. The snake is tied to the mythology of Hermes. Here it is spiralling around a central staff reflecting the story of Hermes using Caduceus to bring peace to two fighting snakes.
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Wings: A symbol of Mercury being the messenger of the gods with winged helm (petasos) and shoes (talaria).
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Life/death: more symbols of duality. Life (left) with fully feathered wing surrounded by circular pattern. Death (right) with skeletal wing surrounded by square thatching.
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Alchemical symbols: Bottom left is the symbol for Mercury (Quicksilver) itself. Opposite this on the right is the symbol for Sulfur. Combining the middle left and right symbols will produce the alchemical symbol for Salt. These three symbols complete the tria prima, or three primes, a cornerstone of alchemy. These three aspects (soul, spirit, body) of alchemy were thought to make up all other compounds can represent both creation and destruction i.e. duality.
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Borders/decorations: The borders and decorations are contrasted between the left (life) and right (death) sides.
5. Jupiter
The "King of the Gods":
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"Eye" of Jupiter: At the centre of the Jupiter circle I have included a storm like what can be seen on images of the celestial body. This is flanked by lightning and clouds associated with the god (Zeus)
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Alchemical symbol: At the centre of the storm is the alchemical symbol for Jupiter (tin).
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Pillars: The two Roman pillars emerging from the bottom are a symbol of stability and the heavens, towering over the earth between them.
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Crown: At the top of the circle
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Borders/decoration: Similar to the crown design, the borders continue a theme of triangles/peaks representing the hierarchy of the gods.
3. Saturn
The malevolent counterpart to Jupiter (the tyrannical father), hence the tendency toward dark symbolism:
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Black cube: Situated on the north pole of the planet, the massive dark hexagonal (2 dimensional form of a cube) storm fuels much speculation regarding the nature of the planet and it's worship by occult groups. This is compounded by the inclusion of the eye, a symbol of those who are enlightened by hidden knowledge.
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Pentagram: Flanking the cube is a pentagram. This is also associated with the dark arts and occult worship.
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Alchemical symbol: At the bottom centre, the alchemical symbol of Saturn (lead), resembles the scythe wielded by Kronos.​
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Hourglass: Represents Saturn's (Kronos') association with time/entropy/death.
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Saturn's rings: The rings of the planet pass over the top left of the circle.
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Borders/decoration: The border and decoration style is that of pointed triangle, to mirror that of the design of a sun, as Saturn is sometimes linked to Lucifer (the shining one), as well as illumination.
2. Uranus
Ouranos is sky god, usually symbolic of the heavens, however, I found this too similar to Jupiter and so focused on the Greek mythology where Ouranos gave rise to Aphrodite (Venus):
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Roots: These act as the roots to the tree in the Venus circle, emanating from the egg at the top.
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Alchemical symbol: At the top centre, a symbol for Uranus (one of many variations)
Golden Rectangle and Spiral
Inside the Spiral
The inner side of the spiral broadly represents reason and the human perception of order within the universe. This is shown through the use of logical, unnatural, geometric patterns that are not found in nature.
Between Spiral and Golden Rectangle
The area connecting the inside of the golden rectangle to the outside of the golden spiral represents our perception of nature and order within nature. The patterns included here are cellular, less consistent, and based on patterns found in nature. The DNA strands meet this area at four points to represent the interconnectedness of the our own physical nature and the rest of the universe.
The Infinite Unknown
Outside the Golden Rectangle
On the outer side of the golden rectangle I have tried to encapsulate a sense of the infinite unknown by including a fractal-like pattern in the style of ladder structures. These ladders mirror the DNA strands which emerge from this area and connect to "known" portion within the rectangle.