Charmides Bookroom
I first heard about quantum science in the 1980’s ( Fritjof Capra, The Turning Point). The real impact came from a collaboration with curator Dr. Pat Donlon at the Chester Beatty Gallery and Library in Dublin in 1988. Touching, sorting through, and spending time with talismans, prayer books, satchel books, amulets – all confirmed that humans have invested the things they make with their very spirit, energy or holographic imprint. The idea that there could be some kind of quantum intersection between the arts, philosophies, religions, healing practices and the long history of their artifacts, began during that investigation at the Chester Beatty. I began to look for more parallels to this concept throughout history, and in true quantum form, walked over to the studio bookshelf, grabbed the first book that came to hand, opened it and read: “He said the soul was treated with certain charms, my dear Charmides, and that these charms were beautiful words.” – Charmides from The Early Socratic Dialogues
During 2005, I set up several life-sized and maquette versions of a room in which visitors could wander and reflect. This is the maquette: Incantation and Intonation: “He said the soul was treated with certain charms, my dear Charmides, and that these charms, were beautiful words.”
The work was developed with an audio track of “beautiful words” in a variety of languages, but I am increasingly in favour of leaving this space quiet and using the natural light , with subtly embedded “beautiful words” in the perspex walls of the space, as a visual intonation and incantation. Hmmm…
