beauty/mosley:
dread
Institute of Contemporary Art
Associate Professor Joshua Mosley’s digital film, shown at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Spring 2009, contemplates an imagined encounter
16 January — 29 March, 2009
between the astute philosophical minds Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Blaise Pascal. Contemplating creation among nature, the thought turns to the central questions of
being and truth. Within the deliberation of the human relationship with the divine and secular rises a quiet knowing of what is gained by answers unknown.
T H E D I A L O G U E I N T H E A N I M AT I O N D R E A D I S L O O S E LY B A S E D O N M Y R E A D I N G O F PA S C A L ’ S P E N S É E S A N D R O U S S E A U ’ S E M I L E . B O T H T E X T S P R E S E N T T H E D I F F I C U LT Y O F R E S O LV I N G T H E H U M A N R E L AT I O N S H I P T O N AT U R E A N D E X I S T E N C E W H I L E A L S O A C C E P T I N G G O D A S T H E C R E AT O R . T H E H I N T S O F M O N S T R O U S PA R T S I N T H E F I G U R E S O F C O W A N D D R E A D I N D I C AT E T H AT T H E A N I M A L S H AV E N E A R LY E V O LV E D T O T H E I R NORMAL FORMS. THE DOG HAS ONE HEAD INSTEAD OF THREE, AND T H E C O W D O E S N O T H AV E F O U R H U M A N F I G U R E S E M E R G I N G F R O M H E R B A C K . T H E F O R M O F D R E A D , A N D H I S N A M E , TA K E S A F T E R T H E D O G S U B J E C T O F E A D W E A R D M U Y B R I D G E ’ S P H O T O G R A P H I C M O T I O N S T U D Y. I N PA S T W O R K S , I ’ V E C H O S E N A P H Y S I C A L M AT E R I A L F O R T H E P U P P E T S A N D A F L AT F L I C K E R I N G H A N D - T R E AT E D S U R F A C E F O R T H E L A N D S C A P E . T H I S C O M B I N AT I O N S E E M E D T O C R E AT E A S E PA R AT I O N B E T W E E N T H E B O D I E S O F T H E C H A R AC T E R S A N D T H E T H O U G H T S I N T H E I R M I N D . E AC H BAC KG RO U N D I N D R E A D C O N S I S T S O F I R R E G U L A R C YC L E S O F S I X D I G I TA L P H O T O G R A P H S . T H E P H O T O S W E R E E N H A N C E D I N T H E T R A N S L AT I O N F R O M C O L O R T O B L A C K - A N D - W H I T E S O T H AT S M A L L E L E M E N T S A P P E A R MO R E N U M E RO U S . MY M E T H O D O F C OM P O S I N G T H E M U S I C R E L AT E S T O T H E S A M P L I N G P R O C E S S O F T H E A N I M AT I O N ; I N E S S E N C E , I T I S A N I N T R I C AT E A S S E M B LY O F S H O R T R E C O R D I N G S O F S I N G L E N OT E S . T H E C L A Y A N D R E S I N F I G U R E S W E R E 3 D S C A N N E D F O R T H E A N I M AT I O N C A P T U R I N G T H E H A N D - M O D E L E D S U R FAC E , T H E N C A S T I N B R O N Z E T O M A K E A F I X E D P H Y S I C A L I M P R E S S I O N . T H E N U M E R I C F I G U R AT I V E M E S H E S T H AT R E S U LT E D F R O M T H E S C A N N I N G S E E M E D T O S U G G E S T T O M E T H AT T H E C H A R A C T E R S ’ M I N D S W O U L D N O T N E E D T O B E P R E S S U R I Z E D I N T H E I R B O D I E S , I N S T E A D T H E M I N D S C O U L D B E E Q U A L LY PRESENT IN THE LANDSCAPE.
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Image: Joshua Mosley
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