…
Floating
sometimes drowning
in a steady stream of data
we find ourselves clinging to ancient logs
as we travel by day and night
in search of signs and wonders.
Distracted for a second by Herodotus (the other Father of Lies)
we must have missed the river Δ / delta / change.
‘The current of the flowing river does not cease
and yet the water is not the same water as before.’*
For a time, we were getting swept in every direction
and then all at once, we were still.
A pause in the dark centre of a spiralling eddy.
‘The word within a word, unable to speak a word.’**
A temporary return to infancy,
followed quickly by a wave of narcissistic reflections.
‘The foam that floats on stagnant pools now vanishing, now gathering, never stays the same for long’*.
Like the pillar of cloud that once filled a house.
Without TV reception, the Afterglow of Creation screens 24/7 on 1% of every channel,
while primordial soup and wine are served.
This morning we ate toast for breakfast.
This morning you found Jesus.
Working across forms, Tom Blake’s solo and collaborative art practice utilises fragmented moments and symbols as potential sites for contemplating the psychological frameworks and technological networks that surround us. He has exhibited in Australia, Japan and Italy and has been a finalist in the Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award, Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, the CLIP Award and The Blake Prize. In 2020, Tom was awarded a Clitheroe Foundation Mentorship, allowing him to spend a year working with Ken Unsworth. He has recently undertaken residencies with the Museo de Arte Moderno (MAM) Chiloé, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA), North Metro TAFE (formerly Central Institute of Technology) and Tenjinyama Art Studio. Tom is also part of momo doto, an ongoing collaboration with Brisbane-based artist Dominique Chen.
The development and realisation of this work has been supported by PICA’s Studio Program and Tenjinyama Art Studio. This project has been funded by the State Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
Opening night: Friday November 17 from 6pm
Image credit:
Tom Blake, downstream dreams (exhibition view), 2020. Photo by Jess Boyce
