Mount Analogue
1996
'Mount Analogue'
This series of four sculptures was partly inspired by an unfinished novel by mystical writer Rene Daumal. Taking the then new discoveries in cosmology ie Einsteins notion of space-time the novel situated an innacessible island-mountain in the South Pacific surrounded by such a steep warping in the space-time fabric that it was impossible to sail toward the island. A mariners compass would indicate that his vessel was travelling straight toward the supposed location of the island of Mount Analogue but inexplicably the ships course would be bent into a curve around the 'event horizon' of the island making it impossible to reach, contained in its own little space-time 'singularity' or 4 dimensional bubble. Only initiates like the adventurers of Daumals novel had the knowledge to realise the ultimate quest of climing Mount Analogue and attain a higher awareness.
Mount Analogue is based on a scientific diagram of the intensity of light around two adjacent light sources used in experiments with insects to examine thier use of the sun to navigate. The contour lines of the diagram have been expanded upward using the fibonnacci series. Hence the largest contour is 1 cm off the floor, the next 1cm above it, the 3rd 2 above the preceding, the the 4th 3 cms, the 5th 5 cms, the 6th 8 cms etc...A slope of ever increasing steepness is created by using this simple numerical feedback loop.-1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,154 ad infinitum.
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National Gallery of Victoria