Geometry begins in violence and in the sacred.
—Michel Serres
"The Elements” is an assemblage. Over 17 years the artist cut and combined pages from Byrne’s 1847 edition of the “Elements,” with books and archival material from her own library. “The Euclid Project” was a journey through Chaos (Ovid), Immanence (Arendt), the Fantastic (Malabou), Shadow (Mallarme) and the Universe (Borges). Both text and myriad historical illustrations of the workings of the world grapple with geometric postulate and proof. The resulting archive of 162 drawings are housed within mobile screens to create an architectural system that is recombinant and transformative.
“The Elements,” reveals and revels in a world that is multiple, spirited and performative. Completed in 2020 the artist is currently animating the work through collaborative workshops.
“The Elements (knowledge of life)”
—Recto: The Imagination is a Function without an Organ
72 wood panels, 6 screens, 92” x 117” each.
—Verso: Already at War Within,
90 wood panels, 15” x 22.5” each.