Nine Square Noughts, 2009

The large, paper photographic negatives used to transfer the images of the nine numerals making up “Number 5 Surrounded by his Associates’ to the photo screen-print series, ’0/762451938′, are themselves interesting as objects, in that the reverse images of the numbers were reasonably visible within these black rectangles, showing an enigmatic Sienna brown colour.

However, over the fifteen years, these recalcitrant images have faded to leave but the merest ghost of what once they depicted. In this way, one could say, this process helps emphasise the nothingness of ‘Noughts’; that digit being the preceding and next character in the decimal counting system that contains the preceding nine parts.

Originally these nine paper negatives were mounted onto individual stretched canvas backgrounds with surrounds which contained images of that numeral by appearing from behind the canvas itself; a most unusual collage / painting technique in itself. These nine rectangles where then intended to be exhibited as a series of nine relating objects.

It wasn’t until 2009 that the idea of showing them within a single framework occurred to me. This decision lead to my producing a largish image in which there is no sense of single focus, rather a field of low key visual information, which if looked at for a period of time with an open mind, appear as an object for (sublime) contemplation. It seems to carry religious overtones without reverting to the particular iconography or symbols of established world religions - a sort of crucifix for Humanists.