The Original Gesture

The Original Gesture

The Original Gesture is comprised of several works, each generated out of the previous iteration. As a way to reduce my body to a mark-making tool, I performed a ritual of covering myself in charcoal powder. I then “drew” with my body/tool by sleeping on paper in an effort to uncover a subconscious marking ability. The charcoal residue from this process was mixed with water and used to pull handmade papers that now have a history of my body embedded in their surface. Finally, as a way to return to the original gesture, the recorded performances were abstracted and projected on a surface that is roughly the dimensions of my body. By presenting the work in this way I am highlighting the most fundamental element of the drawing process – the mark.