About Stellify 3
Stellify 3 is the latest iteration of my Stellify geometry, redrawn and recoloured for 2019. The geometry is derived from a hugely complex origami model that I built over a long and enjoyable afternoon working with my oldest son. In fact I don't think I could've built it without his help, his sharp maths brain is able to see around corners that I struggle with!
The base model is derived from the fourteenth stellation of an icosahedron, created in a 'woven' form that uses five colours and sixty modular components, arranged in such a way that the five colours never touch each other.
The basic form effectively encompasses a dodecahedral core set within the larger icosahedral outer, and then truncates all the points, hence the stellation. It’s a serendipitous coincidence that amongst the tracks getting the heaviest rotation on our play lists here is Ian Brown’s insanely funky Stellify. Music continues to be the fuel that really powers the studio.
Amongst the biggest problems to resolve as I’ve worked on the geometry has been how to fill the void at the centre of the form. In version 3, for the Print Club, the answer has been to maintain the space as a kind of skyline set within the chaotic landscape created by the collapsing, kinetic building blocks of the superstructure.
As is often the case with the studies, the geometry can lean in to determine the direction of travel. So as long as you’re open to suggestion, it’s possible to allow the work to steer itself, often making for some entirely unexpected results. Therein lies much of the beauty of being open to serendipitous events throughout the process, and simply allowing the drawing to dictate the best way forward.
Stellify 3 seems to me to be well outside the parameters I would more normally work within, and as such seems to make a perfect candidate for inclusion as a Print Club edition.
Below are some images of the origami model I originally made to understand / generate the digital drawings for the series...
Stellify, in the studio
Print Club blog, May 27th, 2019
“…I’m just completing the next Print Club edition. Apologies, it’s a little behind the spring equinox, but nevertheless I hope it may represent a small celebration of the lengthening days, and increasing light levels as we head into the summer. It’s an exciting time of year to my mind…
…There’s a certain CGI / gamer / spiderman / cityscape kind of feel to this piece, which I have to say is not intentional. In fact the image is derived from a study of the fourteenth stellation of an icosahedron, or at least an origami version of it which I built with my son Corin’s help a year or two back, and which has fascinated me ever since…
…With a certain level of distortion, and multiple overlaid iterations, the final drawing seems to have taken on some of the language of a Japanese wood block print, reinterpreted with a kind of manga feel. So be it. If you’ve been following my work over the years you’ll know that I’m interested in the idea of being led by the content and the process, rather than trying to steer the work in a particular direction, or forcing a particular outcome…
…I like the idea of a more serendipitous process, a kind of conversation, as the work develops. It’s a method that seems to create more interesting results, at least as far as I’m concerned…”
Text from the Print Club blog, May 27th, 2019
About the Print Club
If you’d like to receive three or four exclusive new editions in the post each year, alongside personal news and views from the studio, and invitations to shows and fairs, please do consider becoming a member of my Experimental Print Club. You can join or leave the club at any time, with absolutely no obligation to stay any longer than you want to.
New works are sent out somewhat sporadically throughout the year, often in line with the changing seasons. Each piece is unique, exclusive, and only available on the day it’s editioned, the size of the edition being determined by the number of members on the day.
I hope the club presents a more personal and intriguing way to connect with the studio, by creating a platform for collecting engaging new works for your home. The club is hosted online here, and I send out fairly regular blog posts and emails about the work too. I’d like to think that it’s an interesting proposition!
Membership is currently priced at £36 per month inc. UK delivery, or £42 for an international address.
Associated works
