Space (both real and illusory and as defined by the dynamic interaction of light and form), the nature of perception, abstract relationships and the unity of opposites are key subjects of investigation throughout the work. The modules, being machine made and hand painted, sit conceptually and practically between painting and sculpture and integrate the wall or floor as an active participant.

Vertical channel, as the title suggests, describes the physical characteristics of the identical, individual elements as well as alluding to the notion of movement and time. The forms, simplified so as to focus without distraction on their interaction with light, are used primarily as a mould to shape and encourage the perception of space. The forms remain open, as if they could be sections of a much larger piece limited only by imagination.

The repetition of a single static element creates a pulse, a feeling of flow within the work. Time, being a series of moments, suspended yet part of a continuum. The interval between the components provides a rhythmic structure to the work and integrates the surrounding space. The aim, by incorporating the wall (or the floor in other pieces) into the work, is to dissolve the boundaries and create a catalyst for a sense of the infinite.

The observers' experience of the work changes with their movement as the components reveal and conceal their separateness at different viewpoints. This dynamic interaction offers an organic freedom in contrast to the static precision of each individual unit.

These contrasts of the permanence of form with the transience
of light, static separateness with dynamic interaction, concrete unit with abstract idea, highlight the union of opposites, one defining the other therefore naturally connected and existing in unison. This in turn highlights the intricacies of relationships which constitute a microcosm.

The work does not seek to imitate but rather to provide a blank canvas through which natural phenomena can be perceived and experienced.

Sarah Robson, September 2001