Wendy Kelly
Themes and Variations
09-02-22 – 26.02.22
Many great composers revelled in the practice of taking a theme of music and developing it into interpretations and variations. With changes to key, tempo, style or instrument, the breadth of their thought is able to be audibly demonstrated and experienced. Just a few examples of this practice are Elgar’s Enigma Variations, Brahms Paganini Variations or even John Thompson’s interpretations of Three Blind Mice. My thought was to take this concept and explore the visual themes of abstraction and geometric rhythms through the immediacy of the linocut technique, and then develop multiple variations of those themes.
Due to the rapidly changing experiences and stresses of the events of the past years, isolation and uncertainty have caused a certain internalisation. From this experience re-invention, experimentation and questioning became paramount.
This body of work is comprised of two components, the major component is an edition of four books of 43 prints that have been paginated, Coptic bound, and are housed in specially constructed book-boxes. As well, some of these images are mounted as limited edition stand-alone prints. 30 odd plates have been used, either singularly or in a multiple, over printing format, and the linguistic confusion of Spoonerisms have formed the titles. In some of the prints a dark density challenges the geometry, whereas others have a strong graphic geometrical quality and rhythm; variations on a theme.
