Alice Aycock, On the Interaction of Particles of Thought
Immediate Response:
My first interpretation of Alice Aycock’s On the Interaction of Particles of Thought, is the attractive feature of the bright blue color of all the small spheres. Contrary to the typical correlation of linking the color blue to sadness, I see happiness and life when I see the color. The blue spheres in this piece of work make me think of memories that we hold within our brain that are floating around waiting for us to recall them at any given moment. It is almost as if they are circling around in sections to always provide a new memory to appear.
Objective Description:
This piece of work is found within what seems to be a library. It hangs from the ceiling by wires in order to make it appear as if it is floating. There are giant metal rings that interlock and overlap with one another. Each of these rings holds a random amount of bright blue spheres that vary in size from one another. Underneath the rings there seems to flow strands of metal that almost resemble paper flowing through the air. The “paper” like ribbons almost graze the blue spheres that are attached to the rings.
Technical Decisions:
Alice Aycock decided to manufacture this piece out of aluminum, polycarbonate plastic globes and fluorescent light. Her choice of using polycarbonate and fluorescent lights makes the viewer think of opening their mind and think about new ideas. Since the piece is hanging from a ceiling within a library, it makes the viewer lookup. Forcing the viewer to look up to see the piece can cause them to look for new ideas within their brain and to think differently. The way in which an artist presents and constructs their piece adds emphasis to what they are trying to portray and Alice Aycock used just the right material and presentation to open the viewers mind.
The Work in the World:
In almost every piece of artwork, one can pick out an object that relates to something else they have seen or have learned about. The blue globes within this piece present a similarity to atoms found within a body. Atoms are one of the main components that make up the human body, which makes me understand that these spheres are the main component that make up human thought and this piece of work. They work and move together to make something unique just like atoms do in every living thing.
The Story it Tells:
Some people may look at this piece of artwork and just see spheres that are randomly placed in order to bring a little bit of a whimsical nature to a typically serious environment. However, the way I see this work is different components of our brain and thoughts working together to forge new ideas. The blue spheres represent different ideas that occur and circulate throughout our heads, while the “paper” is the means of which we write these ideas down. Our brains are constantly thinking and creating and that is exactly what I believe this piece of work represents.