HELLo tHere

HELLO

THERE, ,___

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JOSH B SMITHTHESIS EXHIBITIONSUMMER 2012

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Contents

4 INTRODUCTION

8 ST.LUCY’SEYES12 Republic 1-322 THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN

30 TO SEE THE SEA36 EVERY FORCE EVOLVES A FORM42 YOUR NAME

46 HELLO THERE/HELL HERE 54 DREAD GOD/READ GOD

60 MOVE MTNS.64 WAVES66 SISYPHUS

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HELLO THERE:

55

True communication reveals meaning.

True communication is not didactic or instructional.

True communication is transformative thru time and process.

True communication requires 2 equal parts.

A binary system seems very simple: on/off, open/closed, yes/no, you/me,one/zero.Infact,itisextremelycomplexwithinfinitepermutations.Binary code transmits words, numbers and images through a digital interface and emerges again. When language is translated into binary code, it travels thru an unperceived space until it is recaptured and re-translated back into an understood language by a willing recipient. In the space between, the communication is encoded. In order for communication to take place, language must enter a middle ground of intangibility, a space where the meaning is temporarily lost or obscured.

Binary code is a metaphor: the middle ground is the spiritual ground, to enter that space is to enter a mystery. This work recreates that space between. By taking a phrase or a passage and translating it into binary code, the hand brings new attention and importance to the text. The energy invested brings new meaning. Within the 2-part system of physical/ spiritual and material/ immaterial; unity is achievedbyrecognizinga3rdpart:thespacebetweenthatunifiesbecause it connects. To be aware of this space is the beginning of true communication.

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Saint Lucy’sEyes.

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St. L

ucy,

pt.1

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2.

Acr

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84

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66”

Saint Lucy was a saint of Love and Pain. She gave her eyes to a pagan suitor in order to stay pure. God was pleased with her commitment and gave her a new pair of eyes. She had both profane eyes and divine eyes. She represents the fragmented and redemptive.

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St. Lucy, pt.2. 2012. A

crylic on Canvas.

84” X 66”

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Republic, part one, two & three.

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REPUBLIC PT.1-3:

Plato’sAllegoryoftheCavedifferentiatesthematerialworld from the world of ideas (thoughts). Those who live mainly in the material world are seen as “prison-ers”.ItisthePhilosopher’stasktofreethe“prisoners”from the material world by introducing them to the higher world of thought/the mind/spirit. Canvas, wood stretcher bars and graphite are common objects of the material world. The history of art is bound up in these materials. Canvas was used for years in ancient Egypt as a burial wrap. What is writ-ten on the canvas is tangible material: dots and dashes (ones and zeros), the translation of the Allegory in binary code. Binary Code (here an extended ASCII, Latin-1) is an 8 bit coded character set. It is used to translate “Western European” languages into code for use with our everyday digital devices. Each 8 character set equals one letter. In the space between us and the person we are communicating with, our language be-comes ones and zeros. The immaterial and ephemeral in-between space is referred to as transpatial.

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Republic, pt.1., 2012Plastic, A

crylic & G

raphite on Canvas

48” X 48”

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The transpatial elements of our daily lives escape most of us. We readily send our Social Security num-bers, bank account numbers and addresses into this space without knowing much about where it goes or what will happen. Physically translating the English language into binary code creates a kind of actual transpatial place. The time and energy of the translation is pres-ent on the canvas. The goal of communication is to bridge the transpatial gap as much as possible. The most successful relationships have a very small gap in communication.

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Repu

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Repu

blic

, pt.3

., 20

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THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN.

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THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN:

These loops represent a kind of universal signature. They are in groups of eight in order to form a common 8-character binary set. A solid loop is a zero, an empty loop is a one.

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THE O

NLY W

AY O

UT IS IN

, 2012A

crylic & G

raphite on Canvas

48” X 48”

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TO SEE THE SEA.

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TO SEE THE SEA:

Language is immaterial. Words are material.Words may conjure forms in the mind. The mind is real, yet immaterial.

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TO SEE TH

E SEA, 2012

Oil, A

crylic & Ink on C

anvas48” X 48”

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EVERY FORCE EVOLVES A FORM.

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EVERY FORCE EVOLVES A FORM:

Mother Ann Lee, founder of the Shaker Movement in the United States, is quoted as having said, “Every force evolves a form”. Spiritual, communal, physical forces eventually produce form. Neoplasticism, also known as De Stijl, pursued spiritual harmony and order. Mondrian talked about the “new plastic art” ignoring the particulars of ap-pearance.Plasticcanbemanipulated.Itcanflowand harden. It can be moulded and carved.

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EVERY FO

RCE EVO

LVES A

FORM

, 2012Plastic, A

crylic & Ink on C

anvas48” X 60”

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YOUR NAME.

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YOUR NAME:

Namesareidentifiersthatdistinguishanddivide.They are immaterial, yet refer to physical people. Words made from the same characters can form mul-tiple names. Multiple people share the same name. Tosomeonethatdoesn’tknowyou,yournameisnotconnected to what makes you unique.

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YOU

R NA

ME, 2012

Acrylic &

Graphite on C

anvas48” X 48”

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HELLO THERE/HELL HERE.

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HELLO THERE/HELL HERE:

(Informal) Language re-enforces a binary/dualistic/two-part reality. I am here, you are there. Unity (wholeness) cannot exist within a bifur-cated system. The two parts can be collected, sys-tematized and assembled into a form that resembles unity, but this may only be a shadow. Without unity oradesireforunification,thecyclecontinues.

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HELLO

THERE/H

ELL HERE, 2012

Acrylic &

Graphite on C

anvas48” X 48”

5353

DREAD GOD/READ GOD.

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DREAD GOD/READ GOD:

People differ on what God is or if God is. One ele-ment that can be agreed on is that the idea of God exists in a space that is between and all around. WhenPlato’scavedwellersarebroughtintothelight,itdistressesthematfirst.Iftheybecomeac-customed to the light and return to the shadows, their eyes will not work the same as the other cave dwell-ers. They will not be able to rejoin thier community. If our eyes adjust to the space in between, we will be able to read more clearly. If we learn to read in this space we see heaven or hell. TocatchevenaglimpseofGodistobefilledwith dread.

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DREA

D G

OD

/READ

GO

D, 2012

Acrylic &

Graphite on C

anvas48” X 48”

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MOVE MTNS.,WAVES,SISYPHUS.

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MOVE MTNS, WAVES, & SISYPHUS:

In true communication, understanding the binary re-lationship (me/you) and recognizing the bridge, or space in between (interspatial) can help to unite. Uni-ficationthroughlanguagerequiresawarenessofthecodes invoked by both parties. Triangles have 3 parts/points. The 3rd point introduces space by enclosing it. This space can repre-sent the interspatial. Acceptance and awareness can bring a clarity not possible in a binary/2-part relation-ship. Distance from the surface of things creates new perspectives. Patterns emerge, form undulates, and whatlooksstaticandflimsyatonedistancecanlookactive and solid at another. A task that seems meaning-ful at one perspective may be “endless and unavail-ing” at another. Here, the solid triangle is a zero, blank is a one.

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MO

VE M

TNS, 2012

Plastic, Oil, A

crylic & G

raphite on Canvas

48” X 60”

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WA

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, 201

2Pl

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SISY

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Plas

tic, O

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phite

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HELLo tHere

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