Elizabeth Knowles - Night Vision

Elizabeth Knowles

Natural patterns inspire my work. Some are biological patterns on the cellular level of organisms. Others are geological patterns of the earth's natural landscapes. My work derives from a fascination with the fractal aspect of life forms as patterns replicate on differing scales. An irregular or fragmented configuration can be repeated over and over again with each part containing the same structure as the whole. Similar patterns that recur progressively in smaller scales describe seemingly random phenomena such as crystal growth or galaxy formation. The unfolding of life is ever present as patterns expand back into each and into themselves, revealing a frozen moment in time of the transition between order and chaos or life and death. Through site-specific installation, painting and sculpture, I explore how dynamic patterns connect landscapes and life forms, physiology and physics, death and detritus, growth and form. Ranging from the atomistic to larger organizational systems, the study of patterns reveals the complex interface between the various levels of life and the mysterious connection between them.