Gestural Drawings: Temporal Distortion

• Date: 2019
• Media: black pigment on paper
• Size: A2

This is a series of images I created during the Inquiry by Design workshops at the Basel School of Design. The goal of the workshop was to introduce the process of Practice-Led Iconic Research. This exercise was not oriented toward creating striking or aesthetically pleasing images, but rather to explore how images create meaning. The scan is an example that was published in Dreams and inspirations: The book of selected readings 2018 from the International Visual Literacy Association. Photos of other orignal drawings follow.

My inquiry centered around developing a visual representation of temporal distortion (or, put another way, jet lag). Through gestural drawing using only paper, black pigment, water, and a brush, I eventually developed imagery that showed time as a straight line, akin to looking down a hallway. The overlapping textures and growing darkness indicate the feeling of displacement and confusion that can occur after one undertakes long international journeys. Arriving at this imagery involved attempts using straight linear progressions of strokes and dots as well as curving, swirling strokes, before settling on a combination of the two based on feedback and dialogue with colleagues.