Statement about my current project
To remind myself in a few paragraphs how to
explain what I'm doing.
With this book I am playing with the idea
of coincidences. I'm taking well-known figures Col Gaddafi, Elvis Presley and a
slightly unknown ex ice hockey team owner from the 5th largest city in Germany
with the intention of discovering significant coincidences in their lives and
links between their stories. I chose these figures in a relatively arbitrary fashion
with only two links initially in mind; a place; Germany and a date; January 8th
1935, Elvis's birthday.
Upon further research and subsequently drawing
upon the further similarities I discovered my intention was to utilise the way
coincidences resonate and are understood to show a world in which actions or
events can be seen as part of a larger pattern or structure. Although slightly
absurdly straightforward I find this idea reassuring, every individuals life
events as part of them and as part of the whole mesh in the pattern, possibly.
I will key into this perceived pattern with the visual and physical structure
of the finished book. There will be multiple ways of reading the book as will
follow from the pattern of things and events depicted in the book. These
multiple ways of viewing the pages will offer new juxtapositions between images
and text when the book is extended accordion style.
My attempt is not prove anything
pseudoscientific or spiritually enlightening. I am perceiving pattern in the
life stories of well-known others because I'm looking for it; as if
interpreting forms from patches on a wall or clouds in the sky. Pattern only
exists because we attach so much significance to that which re-occurs, happens
again. What I find really interesting is the way intuitively we can attach significance
and read meaning to these patterns. It's funny which ones we pay attention to
and which ones we don't.
The tone of the book should hang somewhere
between the absurd and something resonates slightly meaningfully. Hopefully.
