Abstract
This paper outlines some key considerations of my current creative arts doctoral thesis. The practice-led research investigates the metaphysical notion of light as an activating principle and how this is subjectively experienced. It re-contextualizes the illuminative process within creative arts, synthesizing its sensate implications with contemporary expression. Philosophically, the research is founded upon the medieval concept that illumination is a key transformational element of our cognitive journey – a process that begins with a sensory experience and leads through philosophical thought to wisdom. Making and perceiving are both the essence and the framework of the research experiments. Light is explored as material; a form that is interactive yet ephemeral, providing disclosure and stimulus. It is also the research tool; the currency to capture, develop and articulate the subjective discoveries. Protean conjunctions of texture and light are arranged and evaluated as attempts to apprehend the vestiges of the unseen. Beyond generating and documenting immersive material arrangements, practice is also employed to communicate insights. Transient installations are orchestrated as a non-verbal narrative and seek to embody the viewer within the works themselves. In doing so, my intent is to share a tacit understanding for the deliquescent relationship between embodied light and the conscious self. The resulting discussion raises questions in relation to our appreciation of light and its agency, transcending a strictly utilitarian dimension. The broader aim of this paper is to expand the denotation of illumination and encourage a reconsideration of creative consciousness in contemporary design practice.
Keywords
Light, cognition; embodiment; experience; illumination; research; creative arts
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/eksig2015.128
Citation
Ventling, D.(2015) Illuminativa: The Resonance of the Unseen, in Bang, A. L., Buur, J., Lønne, I. A., Nimkulrat, N. (eds.), EKSIG 2015: Tangible Means – Experiential Knowledge Through Materials, 25–26 November 2015, Kolding, Denmark. https://doi.org/10.21606/eksig2015.128
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Illuminativa: The Resonance of the Unseen
This paper outlines some key considerations of my current creative arts doctoral thesis. The practice-led research investigates the metaphysical notion of light as an activating principle and how this is subjectively experienced. It re-contextualizes the illuminative process within creative arts, synthesizing its sensate implications with contemporary expression. Philosophically, the research is founded upon the medieval concept that illumination is a key transformational element of our cognitive journey – a process that begins with a sensory experience and leads through philosophical thought to wisdom. Making and perceiving are both the essence and the framework of the research experiments. Light is explored as material; a form that is interactive yet ephemeral, providing disclosure and stimulus. It is also the research tool; the currency to capture, develop and articulate the subjective discoveries. Protean conjunctions of texture and light are arranged and evaluated as attempts to apprehend the vestiges of the unseen. Beyond generating and documenting immersive material arrangements, practice is also employed to communicate insights. Transient installations are orchestrated as a non-verbal narrative and seek to embody the viewer within the works themselves. In doing so, my intent is to share a tacit understanding for the deliquescent relationship between embodied light and the conscious self. The resulting discussion raises questions in relation to our appreciation of light and its agency, transcending a strictly utilitarian dimension. The broader aim of this paper is to expand the denotation of illumination and encourage a reconsideration of creative consciousness in contemporary design practice.