SAS0075_001

2018

Height: 200
Length: 140
Depth: 90

Acrylic, Wood, Steel

Livingston, West Lothian

Van (reduces in size and stacks for transportation)

• Indoors
• Floor-based
• Freestanding
• Quieter locations

'Koan I' is a philosophical and spiritual work that needs a place of relative contemplation and quiet. The artwork has two distinctive parts, the outer and the inner. The outer body is not parallel with the ground, while the inner section is. This inner section of the artwork is a sealed unite and is intended to be contain water but as another option can contain blue reflective mirrors. The artwork requires natural light from above to engage the fluorescent acrylic panels to refract light and create a glow around the edges of the sculpture.

'Koan I' was first exhibited as part of the Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show 2018 and was awarded the 2018 Society of Scottish Artists 'Graduate Award'. It was then showcased at the 2018 Edinburgh Art Fair and has since been exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy (2018/19).

'Koan /ˈkəʊɑːn,ˈkəʊan/ - noun: A paradoxical anecdote or riddle without a solution, used in Zen Philosophy, to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and to provoke quietude towards a deeper understanding.' "We come into this world via the water filled vessel of our mothers womb. We complete our life cycle in a vessel of skin and bone. In turn, we make the transition from life through death into the unknown, via a crafted vessel, fashioned from our earthy resources and cultural projections. We think we know what life and death is, as if they are fixed and separate experiences. Is it possible for our sense of certainty and foreboding to become a sense of joy and anticipation"

It require some natural light from above as the fluorescent acrylic panels refract the light to create a glow around the edges.

Pip Denham