ENTANGLED LABYRINTHS
These new paintings were made as part of my residency in the ANU Department of Applied Mathematics, where I'm working with Dr Vanessa Robins and Professor Stephen Hyde. I'm exploring the idea of 'cubic membranes' (also known as 'entangled labyrinths'), which are three-dimensional structures formed from two-dimensional hyperbolic surfaces. These soft crystalline structures can be found in nature. For example, they appear to provide a template for the construction of the butterfly wing during metamorphosis.
In this new series of paintings, I have moved from working on paper to making larger works on board, using gouache and acrylics. My aim is to visualise the separate but interconnected spaces of the cubic membranes by using tonal graduations of paint within a carefully constructed grid, and to evoke the shimmer of the butterfly's wing through the use of complementary colours and simultaneous contrast.