“BEHIND THE COTTON WOOL IS HIDDEN A PATTERN…” (VIRGINIA WOOLF)

Scroll down for an image of this work in a room

“Behind the cotton wool is hidden a pattern; that we - I mean all human beings - are connected with this; that the whole world is a work of art; that we are parts of the work of art. Hamlet or a Beethoven quartet is the truth about this vast mass we call the world. but there is no Shakespeare, there is no Beethoven; certainly and emphatically there is no God; we are the words; we are the music; we are the thing itself. and I see this when I have a shock,” writes Virginia Woolf, in her memoir.

This work felt quite clearly connected to this sentiment as it came together, and in fact, I purposely ended up having it be my visual interpretation of it about half way through. I have a deep appreciation for everything Virginia Woolf wrote. Her ability to hit upon hard-to-explain sentiments is unparalleled. In the words above, I see her elegantly embracing an atheistic philosophy with a metaphysical flavour. Finding patterns and feeling connected are experiences not confined to the religiously inclined.

The photograph is of the artwork on a wall, to capture the parts that hang off the edges of the canvas.

36h x 36w x 1.5d (inches); cheesecloth, burlap, ink, metal, acrylic on wood-backed canvas