MAGICal Cluster II, MAGICal A, and MAGICal Blue, Eleanor Gates-Stuart

[SLIPPAGE]:  "MAGICal Cluster II" and "MAGICal Cluster Blue" are part of a 9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9 project/category. What is the 9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9x9 project/category?

EGS: During my investigation of wheat-related images, I realised that 2-dimensional images were limited in the way that I wished to represent my ideas regarding spatial concepts. As a rather simple exercise, I devised a mathematical rule of 9. Basically, I decided that the image should be mapped to a colour range of 9 colours and that each colour between 1-9 should be mapped and represented as a shape. As a starting point I chose ‘MAGICal A’ as the image to deconstruct; a new series of works were produced through the range of 9 stencils.
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[SLIPPAGE]: In the title of the pieces, why is "magic" capitalized (to emphasize the artistic qualities of the piece)?

EGS: MAGIC  is actually a research technique by CSIRO Food Futures Flagship scientists as an innovative technique to increase the speed and efficiency of wheat breeding. This is what my images were based on so I used the term ‘MAGICal’.



​[SLIPPAGE]: What kind of shapes did you mix together? Why? Does the choice of shape have anything to do with "Sequence of 9"?



EGS: The shapes were defined by the arrangement of the set of same numbers mapped to the colour and located on the image, MAGICal A.

[SLIPPAGE]: Why do you choose a grid as a background?

EGS: The grid is there as a reference to the process in making the shapes as it provided a key marker when aligning the numbers and shapes. It also acts as a divisional plane, something contradictory to the irregular shapes.

[SLIPPAGE]: What kind of effect did you originally intend for these pieces to have on the reader?

EGS: On first viewing, I hope that the images are attractive in their energetic and cubistic array of colour and interesting shapes. On closer viewing, the numbers and clustering become more evident with the colours revealing a hint of transparency and other shapes. I am happy if the viewer is content with this experience but hopefully there will be a question of how and why and this is my cue to provide additional information.

[SLIPPAGE]: Why did you create this piece?

EGS: As mentioned earlier, my images were moving towards a more 3-dimensional space and at this stage I was looking for a graphical device to experiment with illusion in a 2-dimensional way. Both MAGICal A & B are concerned with spatial dimensions ranging from the representation of the wheat genome to seeds and crossbreeding.



© Eleanor Gates-Stuart​

 

​above: MAGICal Cluster II, below: MAGICal Cluster Blue

below: MAGICal A​