Negative Object; Apophatic Gesture
Date
2016-11-01
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0001-7085-4843
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Representing absence without naming or referencing the objects in question brings to mind the example of apophaticism – a tradition in theology that names what the divine is not, exploring the limits of human knowledge through negation. Considering the absent object in an apophatic way can foster attentiveness to the things that populate our lives, revealing that when objects go missing or lose their usefulness there is an indefinite loss - not only of the object itself, but also of worlds and relationships that once existed. It might seem a lofty term for lowly objects – a fur coat, a postcard, a bulldog clip - but it is a vernacular sense of the apophatic I wish to access.
Description
Keywords
art, apophatic, theology, negative theology, absence, installation, drawing, sculpture, found object
Citation
Degree
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
Department
Art and Art History
Program
Studio Art