Penelope Civil

My research project explores the idea of multi-rhythmic abstract painting. This approach reflects my observation that the everyday experience of life is multi-rhythmic, with rhythm able to assume an expansive meaning. Rhythmic orientation has been described in theoretical and interdisciplinary dialogue as a stance that seeks inclusivity in the negotiation of contradictions and differences that may exist within frameworks of multiplicity and diversity. My material process examines the coexistence of gestural and atmospheric rhythm within pictorial space and the articulation of their varied sensations, movements, energies and moods on different surfaces. Experimentation is activated by the uncertain dynamics of these disparate voices and how their affects can be retained, integrated and experienced in the resolved painting. Shaping and folding the aluminium allowed a rhythmic dimension to be incorporated into the substrate of the painting.