A mixed media work commissioned by two architects with a joint interest in haiku poetry. It is inspired by a poem they wrote together along with images of their in-progress home renovation, which provided the infrastructure to explore concepts of time and memory. Over two years, the piece developed through research, dialogue, and process-based iteration – with most of the production from May to September 2023.
The work is a visual representation of the haiku syllable structure: 5, 7, 5. Each third of the drawing is built from an underlying grid of the aforementioned cadence, with many compositional decisions also following this structure. The 5, 7, 5 framework becomes the foundation to dissect and analyze the architects’ poem:
pines in winter light
past chapters long forgotten
a new beginning
The drawing considers the concept of time in two ways: time as an individual’s experience, such as memory or observation, and time as a universal, cyclical structure like the calendar year. It explores the relationship between these two concepts and investigates how different perceptions of time are woven into and influence one’s memory.
Within haikus, there are moments of simple observation and subtle beauty that in time bring deeper meaning. Translating this notion to the piece, I see the different elements as various moments of observation and experience. These hold a quiet presence in themselves yet altogether form something with greater meaning, as with the entirety of a poem.
2021–2023
Basel, Switzerland
Format: 23 x 117 cm
Media: 5-color screenprint, graphite, ink, colored pencil, thread, various paper
The work is a visual representation of the haiku syllable structure: 5, 7, 5. Each third of the drawing is built from an underlying grid of the aforementioned cadence, with many compositional decisions also following this structure. The 5, 7, 5 framework becomes the foundation to dissect and analyze the architects’ poem:
pines in winter light
past chapters long forgotten
a new beginning
The drawing considers the concept of time in two ways: time as an individual’s experience, such as memory or observation, and time as a universal, cyclical structure like the calendar year. It explores the relationship between these two concepts and investigates how different perceptions of time are woven into and influence one’s memory.
Within haikus, there are moments of simple observation and subtle beauty that in time bring deeper meaning. Translating this notion to the piece, I see the different elements as various moments of observation and experience. These hold a quiet presence in themselves yet altogether form something with greater meaning, as with the entirety of a poem.
2021–2023
Basel, Switzerland
Format: 23 x 117 cm
Media: 5-color screenprint, graphite, ink, colored pencil, thread, various paper