Thinking spaces : a practice-led enquiry into representations of memory and thought

Abstract

This practice-led thesis investigates parallels between research in science and in the visual arts, and explores how thought can be represented in visual form. The project developed from a fascination with logic diagrams and the memory palace, an ancient technique for extending the capacity of the mind to store information. The aim is to develop images of 'impossible objects' that are analogous to scientific hypotheses, and to explore how the apparently cool logic of an experimental system can lead to a compulsive reworking of ideas that may be anything but rational. This exploration takes the form of multiple extended series of small pencil and gouache works, in which the paper ground becomes a space in which to model and reflect on the processes of thought.