Wu Wei Drawing

Site-specific installation with drawing, 79 1/2” x 43 1/2”, pen and ink on tracing paper

There are many nail-holes, cracks and smudges on this wall in David Ireland House.  I first traced some of them on paper. Then I repeatedly copied those lines, including the accidents. The drawing process completely dictated the act of mark-making. Over time, the variations get amplified, resulting in an image that’s completely unexpected from the original traced lines. Paradoxically, by relinquishing the subjective intention for a particular drawing, the resulting image is mesmerizing to behold and traverse, not unlike the meditative process through which the drawing created.

This is the latest development of the drawing series “Draw a line and follow it”.

Installation view

The Process

First, several nail-holes, cracks and paint smudges on the wall are traced on paper with a blue pen. Below are some samples of the shapes that are traced. 

Next, each of these blue lines is copied carefully that retains the formal and energetic tendencies. After that, these lines in turn are copied in a similar fashion. When an accident occurs, it is copied as well. For example, when the ink from the pen dries up, an arbitrary space will be introduced. In the next iteration, that space will be copied.

Below is the progression of a sample section of the drawing process.

A horizontal crack and two holes on the wall were traced with blue lines.

Intermediate state 1 after the blue lines have been copied a few times.

Intermediate state 2 after the lines have been copied a few more times.

Details of the same section after it merged with the lines drawn from another dracing above it. . 

Detail of a part of the drawing that illustrates the process. At some point, the end of a line was smeared by accident while the ink was still wet. Consequently, all the subsequent iterations of that line have to be replicated to have that effect, resulted in the fuzzy effect in that area.

The complete drawing

Previous
Previous

As Is

Next
Next

David's Hand