I+I

2012

tempered glass, black ink
600H x 800W

Series: Glazed I’s

A pair of glazed black I's in a primary equation, I+I describes and occupies liminal space. Initially the wall-hung work appears as a resolute monochrome, a tesselation of black on white. As the viewer moves in the space, the geometric abstraction bursts into life. The twin figures become filmic and animated, affording deep reflections of the body and space, and - positioned near an aperture - reflect the world outside. Hinged between subjectivity and objectivity, I+I serves as a pair of eyes – watching, following and reflecting the audience, framing a dynamic circle of connections between viewer, subject, object and self. Those who stand in the middle ground, remain outside the work, unseen, with no reflection. The space between the I's describes a plus sign, a partnership ('plus one'), a cross, or a lower case letter 't' – making 'iti', Māori for small. A sequence commences on both the left and right with half-plus signs on either side, proposing an open equation, an abstraction with no end.