HOURS
|
A meditation on our perceptions of time, this series is based loosely on the structure of a medieval Book of Hours. The traditional “Hours of the Virgin” include eight texts to be recited at the eight canonical hours of the day. These divide the day into three hour segments, beginning with Matins and ending with Compline. I was attracted to Books of Hours initially because of the exquisite miniature paintings that accompany some of the most elaborate examples, such as the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, and the frequent use of insects and botanical imagery in the border illuminations.
These paintings look at time as a mix of flux and focus: the accidental abstraction of the backgrounds leading to moments of intense realism in the foreground. I hope my viewers will experience both the large gestures and the fragile elements of the natural world, and feel our precarious position within it. |
