alexandra carr mrss

Black Matter is constructed of square and oval cogs that are edged with neodymium magnets that move in a complex, motorised mechanism, underneath a gold, satin drum. Various grades of magnetite sit on the surface of the drum and are pulled around the surface by the movement of the magnets. Magnetic lines are drawn. Black Matter uses magnetism to highlight patterns in nature and the tension between order and chaos. With each showing of the piece, unique satin, magnetic drawings are made and take 1-6 months to produce.

Black Matter - Satin, magnetite, neodymium magnets, motorised mechanisim. 3m x 3m

2016

The perceived unending movement of a magnetic field reinforces the continuous closed loops and cyclic systems throughout nature.  The relentless flow of attraction and repulsion of a magnetic field is incessant but possesses a sense of change; it always has a beginning and an end but there is a point at which one becomes another. This constant flow and sense of momentum is seen in the orbits of planets; a repetition of movement, alignment and a notion of a symbiotic system in equilibrium, while retaining a sense of flux with all its exquisite complexities and synchronicity.

The to and fro, from order to disorder is explored with particular importance put on the boundary between these two states, where phase locking comes into play. There is a point at which patterns become indiscernible and a point at which forms can be observed in chaos.

Magnetism is a force experienced, observed and quantified in the modern age yet still retains an aura of the imaginary. A phenomenon felt that keeps its mechanism from view, drives us to ask questions; it appears to us to be borne of magic, captivating the part of our being where childlike awe resides.

Black Matter was commissioned by Verket Museum, Avesta, Sweden.