Artist Statement

My artwork of recent years has been informed through the study of the "mandala" design and through sacred geometry. Rendered predominately in 2D; my choice of medium varies between computer generated images, painted works and photographs as well as a "Video Mandala" interactive video piece.

The Mandala symbol itself is seen in a highly developed and ritualistic form in the sacred paintings and practices of Tibetan Buddhism. I have sought to continue this tradition, without the culturally based forms and symbols (images of deities, for example) but by following a simple criteria for image making that was outlined by the artist Sozo Hashimoto :

• A Central Focus
• Symmetrical Elements
• A Circular Arrangement

As outlined in the work of Jung and many others, the mandala is essentially a symbol of integration and transformation. Hashimoto commented on the therapeutic qualities of engaging with the mandala symbol, suggesting that the ordered and focused elements served to order and focus the mind. Many workers within the art therapy field have found the production of mandala symbols to be a helpful way of focussing upon the self.

As the sanskrit root of the word "mandala" would suggest (magic circle, circumference) there appears to be an inherently mysterious principle at work within such designs that I find fascinating. Another possible line of inquiry follows the sacred geometrist's concept of the "squared circle" - an exceedingly common graphic component within mandalas - the point at which opposite or discordant elements are brought together; where the symbol of the infinite and unmanifest (the circle) is joined with that of the measurable material world (the square).