BROWN, ROGAN. MAGIC CIRCLE VARIATION, 2018

Hand and laser cut paper in custom shadow-box (37 x 37 1/2 inches)

This work mixes hand and laser cutting to create an incredibly detailed and varied visual texture making multiple references: coral, bacteria, pathogens, diatoms, fungi etc... The circle of the title refers not only to the shape of the petri dish and microscope lens but also to the Buddhist mandala, as these pieces encourage meditation on the beauty and intricacy of the natural world as well as the artistic imagination that transforms it. Magic Circle Variation and X3/18 (lot 51) are companion pieces that explore different ways of approaching and representing nature or, more specifically in this case, of representing the Human Microbiome which is their common point of inspiration. Magic Circle Variation offers a holistic vision of a microbiological-bacterial colony coexisting in harmony, which is symbolized by the circle itself. On the other hand Control X3/18, using the same repertoire of motifs, presents the scientific vision of nature which works through the creation of taxonomies, separating and isolating individual elements of the colony for analysis through control experiments. The limitations of this approach are figured by the rupture of the Petri domes and the escape of the organisms they contain. This reflects the fact that scientists are unable to analyze the biome through such taxonomies because a) they are unable to successfully isolate and culture the bacteria in Petri dishes (most species of bacteria cannot be cultured in this way, E.coli is an exception) and b) the biome operates through an incredibly complex system of interaction and symbiosis and can only be fully understood through an analysis of these interrelations.

The excess of detail in these sculptures therefore acts as a visual metaphor for the excess of data in nature which constantly subverts and limits our attempts to fully comprehend it.