Undertone Overture, (2018) 16mm film transferred to digital video, animation with dyed fabric, 1920 x 1080 pixels
Undertone Overture evokes an abyssal, aquatic abstraction cruising out to the cosmos and back to coast. Swirls and swooshes of colour and texture boil to pelagic pulses of deep-sea hydrographic exploration, considering the cultural and historical-referential properties of tie-dyed fabric. From ancient hand-practiced dyeing techniques to hippie-stigma’d head shop merchandise to amorphous abstract paintings, the formal elements of tie-dye locate the tension regarding the aesthetic value of forms of fine art and craft. Paired in the gallery with resort-born lounge chairs, the installation looks out to sea, reflecting on coastal life and the parallel forms of spectatorship shared between natural phenomena and abstract cinema.
