Been, being and becoming : the meaning of change

Palimpsests, surfaces upon which images are layered one upon the other, can be found everywhere on Launceston's roadways. The palimpsests I am interested in are those formed by the numbering system of parking meters and road repairs. They provide clues to an understanding of the phenomena of life and nature, and by doing so, become markers for the passage of time. The concept of a palimpsest implies a manuscript that has been inscribed in layers over time, with the earlier writing incompletely erased and often still legible. I refer to two types of palimpsest: one a deliberate erasure - the Council roadway number system, and the other the accidental erasure through road repairs that often seal over original structures and messages. The outcome of the project, collages of paintings and digital prints, expresses the lyrical beauty of erosion created by the passing of time, and reveals itself through the process of decay. My objective in creating the works is to understand the world in which we live: from the 'now', where we peel back history, and gain an insight into how the present and the past make an impact on the future. As a background to this project I have examined works by Jasper Johns, Jeffrey Smart, and Sean Scully. I have discussed their work in relation to issues that are relevant to my project: for example, I have studied the different ways those artists interpret ideas, how they deal with the collective memory, or recall places they have visited and overlaid these with experiences of the present to produce insightful works. My aim has been to create mixed-media digital print images based on.a virtual memory of the past. I have used layered images of the commonplace to build palimpsests that reveal traces of history and, at the same time, suggest a future. The project seeks to raise an awareness of the beauty of everyday things and life in Launceston. Without seeking to create a formal frame, for example by introducing the horizon in the painting, I leave viewers to reflect on their own experiences and imagination of the 'now' and 'then', in order to open up a door to speculate on the process and experience of 'becoming'.