vibrant matter

Chromatograms are the visual expression of vibrant matter - a literal self-portrait of the materials being used to create them. When making chromatograms I am a facilitator of the process ~ the outcome cannot be controlled and expectations must be let go.

I borrowed the term Vibrant Matter from a book by philosopher Jane Bennet - she considers ‘what are the political implications of recognising matter that exists outside of the human…as forces, with trajectories, propensities or tendencies of their own.’

While traditionally used by agronomists to check soil quality I have been testing the method with many other materials - including trees, seaweed, dead insects and even human ashes - to extraordinary results.

The more I engage with the process, the more I’ve become convinced of an energetic resonance or memory that is inscribed within the materials. Working with ashes or ‘dead’ matter yelids consistently vivid, striking & sometimes eerie results.

Disintegration can also be thought of as metamorphosis & sometimes it feels the essence of a material is not necessarily tied to form. It feels the process of chromatography gives voice to this essence that survives the many alchemical transitions it might pass through.