contact: mitch.wpatrick @ gmail.com
Godstone @ Studio Kura, Itoshima, Japan.
During my time at the residency, I went out into the areas surrounding Studio Kura and collected debris discarded by the ecosystem and human activity. These found artifacts were then designed into typographic glyphs. The glyphs were specifically designed to represent pixels in images and were also used to create a body of reciprocating artworks. The idea driving the project was to intently focus on the local minutiae of Itoshima; to examine the things one typically walks over, passes by, and does not consider regularly with much importance, liken to the pixels of the images we habitually consume on our screens. The resulting artworks re-imagine these found artifacts, my time at the residency, and sets out to increase the resolution of the diminutive. I named the project and its glyph set "Godstone", inspired by a local spiritual artifact—a large boulder discovered in the foothills of Kamiari. This imposing stone stands out amidst the bamboo grove, reminiscent of the parallels I find between the Godstone and my project—the realization that the larger world, whether in person or in an image, is composed of countless smaller elements. In essence, "It's turtles all the way down."
