on the invisible


06.06

we have no foothold on the invisible.

thermochemical change is the catalyst
behind the FACSIMILE series. each piece
in the series (volume one consists of over
130 works) is generated by selectively
applying transitional heat gradients to
temperature-sensitive coatings on paper.
the chemical responses of these receptive
coatings to severe temperature change
produce a wide variety of visible marks.
these marks (literally superficial burns)
are like fingerprints—they manifest general
typologies, but their specific features cannot
fully characterize their author or reveal
the circumstances of their making.

by blurring the function of absence
and presence in this way, these one-of-
a-kind works pose a forensic challenge
to the referential systems we use to
produce private meaning, through
which we gain aesthetic, formal,
logical and interpretive closure.