Dark Matter

2016, iron oxide pigment and rare earth magnets on primed linen and steel, each 33 x 33cm. Photographer: Document Photography.

Dark Matter is a series of works in which a magnetic field is made visible through the interaction of materials. Primed linen is stretched over a steel support, forming a ground onto which rare earth magnets are fixed. Black iron oxide is scattered across the surface, gathering in response to the forces at play beneath. The pigment does not sit evenly, but accumulates and disperses according to the pull of each magnet and the shifting relations between them. Dense formations emerge alongside areas of relative absence, mapping a field that is otherwise unseen. What appears on the surface is not imposed, but drawn out through the interaction of force and matter. Across the works, these configurations vary, producing distinct patterns of attraction and repulsion. The field extends beyond any single point, operating as a network of forces in tension, where visibility arises through material response.