Ensō 三

The Ensō, a traditional East Asian ink on paper discipline, is defined by its free-flowing form. The artist practices to draw the circle in a single, unbroken movement. This requires the cultivation of a particular state of mind and body - where one moves and acts without hesitation or cogitation. In this artwork the depth of field is explored and expanded through a low relief of calligraphic strokes overlayed in a palimpsest of erasing and over-writing. Here the metaphor of a continual cycle of coming and going is suggested. This symbolically reflects both the philosophy of the Ensō as an unending circle and the nature of energy and matter as a constantly dynamic and fluctuating state. As a result of this technique the algorithmically drawn field of calligraphy, that is drawn, hidden and once again revealed, oscillates between foreground and background, suggesting the invisible and intangible ether of Qi (energy) around us and within us. This work is a traditional practice-led form of research on the cosmological and natural elements of the world and our human nature. This work has been documented in high resolution by Dr Carl Warner. High res, printable file available on request.