Solo exhibition at Galleri Blunk, 'A Knock at the Door'
Ceramic, lodestone, postcard, compasses
My exhibition ‘A Knock at the Door’ looks further into my explorations with the naturally magnetic mineral magnetite. These two works draw inspiration from ornamental sanctuary knockers and late renaissance natural philosophy, in particular the concept of lusus natura, or ‘joke of nature’.
Lusus Natura testified to the existence of an animated and playful nature. The concept materialised through the optical works of Jesuit scholars, such as Kircher and Della Porta, as they created games of distortion using artificial devices, natural phenomena and magnetic recreations. These works ignited a space for scientific play, reflecting the desire to transverse the boundaries between the natural and unnatural world. The perpetual confusion between these two categories fuelled the imaginative spirit of scientific discourse in early modern Europe.
By the late 18th century however the concept of nature’s “jokes” had largely vanished from scientific inquiry. Under the influence of Galilean, Cartesian, and Newtonian approaches, science adopted a more rational and selective framework, one that left little room for the poetic prosperities that characterised 16th and 17th century exploration.
The knock-knock joke, as a participatory format, depends on shared understanding, reciprocal communication, and cyclical exchange. In creating these door knockers, I reflect on my relationship with something often perceived as other, curious to explore the relations between myself and this mineral. A knock at the door represents a possibility, an invitation, a passageway—but also an unknown presence. It expresses the hope of forging new acquaintances.
2024
