This Work Cries Palingenisis

Following on from my recent works using neon tube light, set within translucent, semi-reflective light boxes, This work is based on a neon tube shaped like the non-italicised Daytona typeface ‘0’.

The depiction of ‘nought’ divided into two by a vertical bar is an image that has interested me for quite some years. This image suggests a number of ideas: It is both ‘one’ and ‘zero’ at the same time, it contains the symbols for ‘On’ and ‘Off’, it suggests something quite organic, possibly a cell dividing, a grain or seed, an alimentary canal, and for the more prosaic, a hamburger on its side.

The resulting illuminated aperture in a rectangular box appeared as no more than an unoriginal ‘one liner’ adding no more to the canon of earlier works in this vein, it needed some context. Creating an outer frame and applying paint to canvas was the answer, creating the challenge to effectively balance both the presence and absence off coloured light with pigment.

Having confronted this challenge, there remained the question of a title. ‘Palingenisis’, a word that I had discovered a few years ago, seems to express the elements, process and experience of the work - beautifully. ‘Palingenisis’ comes from the Greek palin, meaning again and genesis, meaning birth. In producing this work, I really felt I was going back to my roots as an art student. For me, this work really does cry ‘Palingenisis’.