Sofía Alrich Veytia

Introduction

The research undergone throughout Unit 3, revolved around the concept of “interconnection”. It has been a transformative and exploratory journey, where I investigated the challenge of capturing the intangible and sublime. I delved into the interplay between the digital and the physical, using photography, video, and intaglio printmaking as a means to depict that which resists depiction, investigating how abstraction and “formlessness” play a crucial role in my exploration of the intrinsic connections between humanity, the cosmos, and nature.

This journey led me to delve deeper into photo etching, considering the matrix as the vessel from which to uncover unexpected associations in the world of organic imagery. My biggest breakthrough during these past months was venturing into the world of video, discovering its unique capacity to layer and manipulate source material, and how it could enrich my printed practice. Alongside discussing my creative practice, in this essay, I explore the concepts of Animism, The World Soul, and The Gaia Theory as pivotal theories fueling my research, and I discuss the artistic influences that inspired my practice, such as Pipilotti Rist and Bill Viola and how their work showcased the potential of video as a medium for immersive experiences and spiritual exploration.

The driving force behind my desire to portray the interconnection between humanity, nature, and cosmos, arises not only from a personal spiritual perspective but also from an ecological interest. In a time of fast-paced climate change and a world full of individualism, I believe that expanding our sense of self into a connected world can help us achieve harmony with the world we inhabit and with one another.

Interconnection

Animism attributes sentience to nature, a vital force that is immanent in the world and that animates things such as plants, animals, spirits, and forces of nature. It is a perspective common to many indigenous cultures throughout history, although not perceived the same way throughout all of these cultures most share in common the thought that nature is alive and has a soul. The key to Animism is the perception that this ‘soul’ that permeates all things is also what connects them. The animist way of perceiving the world bonds humanity and nature, if everything is animated by a soul then humanity is not so different from the world that surrounds it.

Many philosophical movements that reflect upon the cosmological perception of nature can be traced back to Plato’s works, especially the Timaeus. In Timaeus Plato states that the universe is a single Living Creature, a World Soul that contains all living things. (Fideler, 2014) This idea of living nature created a bond between man and nature throughout centuries, but sadly little by little this went away and humanity adopted viewpoints where life is mechanical and inanimate.

Neoplatonist philosopher Plotinus taught an allegory of the world where a single gigantic tree represented “The Soul of All”, where humanity and all other creatures form part of this tree, the trunk, branches, twigs, and so on. The conflict in this unity comes when the branches and leaves become so distant from the root of the tree that they forget they are a part of a higher reality. “The more these parts identify with matter, which is thoroughly divisible, the more they violate the absolute wholeness of the One. Breaking out into finite lives ruled by the merciless cycles of growth and decay, the One is no longer simply one...” (Marder, 2014)

The interconnection between humanity, nature, and the cosmos has been the focal point of my current artistic and theoretical research. These theories are pivotal in my artwork made during the past few months. At the end of Unit 2, I reflected upon Plotinus’ view of “The Soul of All”, I found the metaphor of humanity being a part of a tree fascinating and explored these ideas through a video piece titled Axis Mundi. In this video, I explored the parallelisms between the human body and natural life. This artwork from Unit 2 is relevant to my Unit 3 practice as it was the starting point for my current visual research and first incursion into video and installation. 

Everything Moves; Everything Vibrates

My Unit 3 practice was initiated by the series "Everything Moves; Everything Vibrates (1,2,3)," a triptych of hydro-coat etchings derived from stills in the video "Axis Mundi." The title is inspired by the Hermetic principle of vibration, suggesting that everything is in constant motion. Hermeticism, a philosophical and religious tradition, posits that the Universe is a creation of the infinite and unknowable Mind of The All. In this Universal Mind, all matter and energy reside, connecting everything. This unity implies that humans and nature are essentially the same but exist on different levels. 

The triptych “Everything Moves; Everything Vibrates” reflects on these concepts, the images within the print could resemble at the same time the micro or the macro, they could portray cells in motion growing and separating creating new life, or they could be stars erupting, galaxies in creation. While making this artwork it was important for me to allude to both the human and the cosmic, using images that originally came from nature (running water and leaves running through a stream) to create visual parallelisms. The process of printmaking involved several steps that gradually moved the image away from its original source and towards a more abstract representation, dissecting, transforming, and modifying photographic images through digital, manual, and mechanical processes. 

The use of hydro-coat etching for this piece was strategic, as the photo-based etching process allows for an accurate representation of the base image while still leaving space for randomness to intervene. To create a hydro-coat plate, the original image is bitmapped, effectively integrating a digital aspect into the manual process. You can spot this subtle digital influence when you examine the image closely. The digital realm is something that transcends temporality, it is beyond the natural and so alludes to the intangible. For this reason, I employ digital technologies as a first step before taking an image into intaglio printmaking. 

The use of color was relevant in this piece as I decided to create two versions of this artwork, one in black and white and the other in violet red. Violet red alludes more directly to the concept behind the artwork, it represents the vital fluid that flows within many organic lifeforms; blood, or tissue within our bodies. Black and white is more open to interpretation and alludes more to the celestial bodies. For the summer show, I decided to exhibit the two triptychs together to create a dialogue between them. 

Correspondence

Throughout the three units of this course a main question within my practice has been: How can one picture that which resists depiction? My research revolves around the concept of interconnection between man, nature, and the cosmos, which in essence are ideas that touch upon the subject of the sublime, and the sublime is a concept that is intrinsically intangible, difficult to grasp, and to portray. Throughout this unit, I explored the relationship between the digital and the physical and reflected on how the intangible can be represented through nonmaterial media, such as photography and video. 

Formlessness is an important quality of the Sublime, Kant in his book Critique of Judgement explained that the main difference between something being beautiful or sublime is in form. Beauty is a sensation that comes from the presentation of an object, from it being pleasant and charming to the mind of the spectator, from a sense of satisfaction, it is tied to the limits of that which is being observed. The Sublime on the other hand is found in that which is limitless, it is at the same time something attractive and repelling, it is a feeling that one can’t completely grasp, and it depends not only on the external factors but also on the internal state of the spectator. (Kant, 2005)

This link between the sublime and formlessness is an important exploration in my artistic practice as my process usually starts by transforming, and modifying photographic images from our natural landscape and abstracting it through each stage to create amorphous figures. At the end of Unit 2, I experimented with video and found that the layering of imagery in a moving image and the use of digital technology allowed me to explore new ways of altering source material. After this first approach to video, I decided to continue this experimentation. Throughout Unit 3 I explored the synthetic/ the digital as a means to interpret the intangible within nature, as the digital realm is not limited by size or space, video served as a pathway for creating larger and more immersive artwork. 

Another key theory that influenced this piece is The Gaia Theory.  English scientist and environmentalist, James Lovelock, and American biologist Lynn Margulis co-developed the Gaia Theory in the 1970s. It proposes that Earth is a self-regulating system that aims to maintain an ideal environment for life. Many scientists and the general public at the time did not believe that humans could greatly impact the environment, and Lovelock’s theory shone a light on our direct link to environmental changes. Gaia continually adjusts to external factors, including the sun's temperature, cultivating biodiversity or reducing it as necessary. While climate change isn't only caused by humans, we are now changing our environment at a much faster pace than it naturally would, pushing ourselves toward extinction. Lovelock suggests that recognizing our connection to Gaia can inspire us to be better stewards of the planet. We are intrinsically joined, we should strive to be in unison with the system that keeps us alive, not damage it and modify it. (Lovelock, 2021)

This research is primordial in my interest for creating Correspondence. I too believe that if humanity understood that we are intrinsically connected to nature and everything that exists in our universe we would take better care of it. For this reason, I decided to create a video installation that alludes to the parallelisms between the human body and natural life. I reflected on the digital as something that is taking over the natural world, but at the same time, it is something that allows us to get a closer glimpse into the unseen aspects of nature. 

I chose to make a two-channel video installation in order to create a dialogue between the two projected images, to sway between the unsettling aspect of nature decaying and dying and the optimism of birth, regrowth, and regeneration. These two videos projected side by side also enhanced visual parallelisms, as each video has a slightly different appearance at first, one being more synthetic and the other more naturalistic, some frames representing the macro and some representing the micro, as the video goes along, these two paths merge and bond. 

A very important artistic influence for this video is Pipilotti Rist, specifically her work: “Worry Will Vanish”, 2015. While planning my video installation for the MA Summer Show, I started researching artists who explored subjects of interconnection and dived deeper into researching video artists. In her audio-visual installation for Hauser & Wirth Pipilotti Rist projected along two walls and created an immersive environment, the video is made up of close-ups of body parts and fragments of nature that overlap and merge. 

In this installation, Rist plays with audio, texture, and color to portray how nature and humanity mirror one another. For Pipilotti, recording nature is also recording humanity, as we belong to nature as animals. Another important aspect of Rist’s work is her combination of both natural imagery and that of the female body. Both are often idealized and misunderstood and violence is sadly commonly exerted upon them. “The female body is not a temple, Rist’s work attests but, rather, a source of an embattled autonomy and self-love.” (Archey, k. 2016)

In my video installation “Correspondence”, I was greatly influenced by Rist’s ability to merge the human and the natural in a surreal and abstract form. Also, this parallelism between the female body and the natural world was an important element in my video piece. Nature is currently being destroyed by humanity, when we should be taking care of it as we do our bodies. I took a trip to Richmond Park to film most of the content for this piece, most specifically to the Isabella Plantation, where I found multitudes of flowers and several streams that inspired this video. The flower throughout history has been closely linked to femininity. I decided to use flowers as the main element in this piece as they symbolize this womb from where everything comes from, as well as a symbol of change. 

The hues of magenta and red within these flowers and in the video are an important element in this piece, I sought to create unsettling sensations by creating images with colors that hint at notions of nurture and tenderness, at the same time as frames with high contrast and bold colors that allude to the chaotic and menacing element of nature. Red is the color of the vital fluid, of blood, and pink is a variation of that color it alludes to the skin pigmented by blood, this is the reason pink is the main recurring color throughout the sequence. These contrasts between color, light, and darkness, and the use of sound worked together as an important tool to convey that nature is at the same time beautiful and terrifying, it is something that creates and destroys, and the sublime can be both awe-inspiring or cause a sense of uncertainty, as that which we cannot explain can unsettle us. 

Sound was also an important element in this video. To create the music I gave the musician (Santiago Barrón) some keywords of the sensation that I wanted the video to convey: I aimed to make the work fully immersive, to create the feeling of being enveloped in something larger than oneself, to be surrounded by nature and the cosmos and at the same time to feel unease from chaos and deterioration. In turn, Santiago decided to employ the Lydian mode, which is a scale that is often used in fantasy and science fiction scores, it creates a magical sensation because of the connotations colloquially assigned to this scale, it is often used in religious music of the Western world. The music also made use of instruments commonly used in orchestras and the use of bells which are elements common to music in chapels and cathedrals, which in turn alluded to the transcendental/sublime aspect of interconnection that I wanted to convey in my video piece. 

Another important artistic reference for my current practice is Bill Viola. His artwork often touches upon themes embedded with the sublime, while touching upon subjects in ordinary life he represents the awe-inspiring elements in our daily existence.

In “Theater of Memory”, a fallen tree is lit up by lanterns and by a screen projecting a video in the back. From this video loud noises of static followed by silence played from speakers, disrupting the continuous sound of a wind-chime blown by a fan. This artwork at the same time touching upon subjects of nature, was also talking about neurons and the nervous system, the flicking lights in the video and lanterns combined with the static noise represented the creation of memory, ideas, and nothingness. (Uyar, S. 2022) 

His extraordinary capability of subtly discussing colloquial themes while embedding within them a highly spiritual and transcendental atmosphere greatly inspired my approach to exploring video. His use of fleeting disappearing light in artworks such as Tiny Deaths and Night Vigil was very influential in the experimentation with light within the video Correspondence. Bill Viola’s work is a great reference in how video has the power to immerse viewers completely, and the way it can be used as a tool for portraying universal experiences, it is a highly sensory media that allows multiple layering of imagery. 

I decided to display the video ”Correspondence” subtitled “The Plant Within”, within a dimly lit space. Spectators were seated in the center of the room, completely immersed in the two projected moving images that adorned the surrounding walls. The juxtaposition of the obscurity of the room with the light emanating from the images, combined with the sounds of bells and instruments transports the viewer to a temple-like atmosphere and allows them to experience the sensation of being one with the setting, in this case, images resembling stars, cells, creation, destruction, growth and mortality. 

The Plant Within

After exhibiting the video Correspondence and the triptych Everything Moves Everything Vibrates in the MA Summer Show, I decided to continue the experimentation on modifying and transforming reference images, in this case, stills from the video and taking them into printed media, as the feedback from the dialogue created between the two pieces was positive. 

The Matrix as seen by alchemists is the Hermetic vessel, a mystical symbol in which the prima materia is transformed (Jung, 1968, p. 345-346) In printmaking the matrix is the source from which multiples can be made. As I am exploring the concept of interconnection in our universe, specifically in nature, I approach the print matrix as the vessel from which to uncover unexpected associations in natural imagery. 

The process of taking an image away from its source and directing it towards abstraction is enhanced by etching, as it is a medium that is prone to the element of chance. Etching with acid can only be controlled to a certain point as many factors feed into the process and allow for controlled accidents and unexpected results to bloom. The video taken directly from a specific time and space is only a fragment of reality, the edited video processed through digital media is therefore only a ghost of the original object, it is only a memory of time and space. Translating this ephemeral image onto a physical object again (the printing matrix) gives a tangible space for something that no longer has form. 

The series titled “The Plant Within” is composed of four hydro-coat etchings printed on paper. Each work within the series has a different tone of Violet Red mixed with Carmin, this color choice was made to bring out further the connotations within the images of references to organic matter. The stills taken from the video Correspondence range in color from black, pink, red, and yellow. The choice of only using a single color for the printed counterparts alludes to my interest in not translating the original source directly, but giving it a new meaning and space for new associations to grow. When editing the images for this series, I envisioned the experience of perceiving the animating elements within living beings. These images were modified to resemble close-up shots, akin to those captured by a microscope or an X-ray machine, allowing them to portray the intangible principles inherent in both human beings and nature. 

Moving Forward

Moving forward in my professional practice outside of the academic setting, my objective is to continue exploring the boundaries of printed media and incorporating immersive installations into my overall body of work. During my master’s studies, I came to understand the significance of integrating various artistic disciplines and the valuable dialogue that can be created by combining two or more methods of working. Throughout Unit 3, I began to question how the digital realm can be utilized as a medium for portraying the intangible and sublime. To enhance my skills, I intend to deepen my knowledge of digital software and explore different techniques in video, photography, and photo etching. 

Reflecting on the research conducted over the past year, I have realized that the driving force behind my desire to convey interconnection between humanity, nature, and the cosmos, arises not only from a personal spiritual perspective but also from an ecological interest. In a time of fast-paced climate change and a world full of individualism, I believe it is essential that humans expand their sense of self into a connected world. If we acknowledge the interconnection of all things we might just achieve harmony with the world we inhabit and with one another. For this reason, I aim to start dialogues and collaborations by approaching institutions, organizations, and projects that often work with ecological or scientific themes, such as The Wellcome Collection, Cern, Serpentine Gallery, Phytology, Invisible Dust, Creative Carbon Scotland…among others. I will also apply to residencies such as “Interplanetary Simulacrum” and open calls such as “Fluxus Museum Prize for Experimental Video”, to insert my artwork into a global audience. 

To finish this reflection, I would like to share a quote that was etched in the corner of my mind at all times and that served as a driving force and inspiration for my work and research during the past year: