Christopher Hodson
About the artist
Christopher Hodson, born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, in 1985, works with a vast array of materials, processes and visual languages; producing sculpture, installation works, sound, performance and prints. His work is focused on elements of scientific endeavor and art’s relationship to science.
Christopher explores current and antiquated theorem. Is it possible that the creation of artworks can lead to a greater, or different, understanding of current scientific models and theories? His interest lies with the intangible elements of human existence: things which we as living beings wish to understand, but for various reasons remain illusive? Chris began exploring empirical notions through the writings of Hume, but his practice quickly developed into a discourse based on the relationship between art and science, focusing primarily on astrophysics and the mysteries of the universe.
Astounding concepts and unknowable truths lend themselves to the creation of art; they can exist within a sculpture or a print and remain as valid as they are within the Laboratory. Some of the most recent theories are so wildly beyond regular human comprehension that they may never be proven. They can however exist as art and this cross-over may even go some way to expanding our knowledge of the universe?
The ideas Chris works with have to fire his imagination in order for him to create any meaningful response: enormous sometimes unpronounceable numbers, visual and physical scales that are completely unimaginable and ideas that are not fully understood by the scientific community.
Although the work is seemingly an entrance point for the spectator to discover some of the complex ideas dealt with, Chris does not consider any of the work he does as demonstrative. Some work alludes to scientific illustration, though this is not to say that the work purely performs in such a perfunctory manner.
Much of the work disrupts the accepted reading of the situation it finds itself in, sometimes pointing out the limitations of the human senses, art exhibitions and nstitutions. This subversion stems from earlier work that dealt with Empiricism and as a result more recent pieces began to be based around specific phenomenological experiences. These are works which exist yet aren’t necessarily meant to be seen or even noticed, in Chris’ opinion they reinforce their position both as artworks and within their scientific context.
Influences both on the nature and aesthetic of Chris’ practice range from Minimalism of the 1950’s-60’s, Conceptual Artists of the 1970’s (Vito Acconci and Mel Bochner in particular) along with far more contemporary artists such as Marko Peljahn.
Various other languages are used or referred to, ranging from mathematics, diagrams and schematics, works based around spatial relationships, works composed purely of light or sound,, performance pieces, object based sculpture, found objects, text, paintings and works that exist as a proposal or simply an idea. This array of visual, audio and spatial techniques serves only to allow the ideas to ‘breathe.’ Any constraints on the physical realisation of the work would undoubtedly result in unresolved and uninteresting art.
Work Profile
Christopher’s work is based around a large scale ‘light drawing’ on a large flat surface in Birmingham City Centre. The artist will be utilising the flat concrete wall which form the side of a large office block above the Pallasades Shopping Centre (near to the Victoria Square entrance of New Street Station).
The ‘drawing’ consists of an arrow, akin to that used on schematic drawings, which is without perpendicular lines at the ends. This allows the ‘dimension’ to remain undefined in some senses and not a definite measurement. Labelling this line, are the words “1 Light-year” which almost immediately asks the viewer to re-evaluate the measurement and their relation to it and indeed their relationship to their surroundings, the Earth and the Universe as a whole.
The projection is completely composed of light and adds a certain context to the work, a measurement made of light which in turn references itself, a measurement made of light.
This piece explores the idea that if someone were to say to you that Earth is 1000 light years away from the next closest galaxy, how would you perceive that distance? Comparisons and dimensions are only useful if the viewer or reader can fathom that kind of scale.
