| Imagine driving down the interstate, gazing out of your vehicle’s window, watching images of trees, hills, and concrete whirl by. The soft blur of foliage, punctuated by guardrails and highway signage, blend into the road ahead. Whether landscape is seen through a train window or on the television, our physical contact with nature is lessened, and the pace at which we experience it is gaining momentum. At a quickened pace, our eyes adjust to the bi-optic play that occurs while moving at varying speeds. Many devices and inventions have been made with the intention of helping us experience and observe nature’s beauty to its fullest. These optic devices attempt to accent and highlight both static and moving scenic landscapes, and they extend from the Claude glass of the Romantic period to a pair of viewfinder scopes found at any contemporary vista point along the highway. |
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Elizabeth Mooney is an artist based in San Francisco, CA.
Elizabeth Mooney, Body Seismograph, 2007. Performance still, motor, wood, ink, stone, paper, rope. Courtesy of the artist.
Imagine driving down the interstate, gazing out of your vehicle’s window, watching images of trees, hills, and concrete whirl by. The soft blur of foliage, punctuated by guardrails and highway signage, blend into the road ahead. Whether landscape is seen through a train window or on the television, our physical contact with nature is lessened, and the pace at which we experience it is gaining momentum. At a quickened pace, our eyes adjust to the bi-optic play that occurs while moving at varying speeds.
Many devices and inventions have been made with the intention of helping us experience and observe nature’s beauty to its fullest. These optic devices attempt to accent and highlight both static and moving scenic landscapes, and they extend from the Claude glass of the Romantic period to a pair of viewfinder scopes found at any contemporary vista point along the highway.
Using a combination of painting, performance, and kinetic sculpture, my work considers these devices and the speed at which landscape is experienced. These instruments and the images they present to their viewers are powerful catalysts for my approach to contemporary abstract painting.
