319 Drawings influenced by Virginia Woolf, Orlando

Reflecting on the gestural relationship between drawing and writing through the movement of the pen or pencil I did a series of 319 drawings that are influenced by Virginia Woolf, Orlando. Pairing one word with each chapter I mark each letter of the word through a perpetual pattern emphasizing the past and present issues associated with aspects of the word, as well as the fragmentation of time through the performing of the mark making process.

This works through a system of archaeology within the setting of the text in order to emphasize key points and the definitions assigned to each word that communicates different contextual assertions from past to present. Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West stand out as key players within queer performativity. The text acts as a cipher for not only their relationship and personal struggles within the period, but as a beacon shining light on many roles within a system of gender bias. The character Orlando is a progressive historical character who allows us an opportunity to experience the realm behind the curtain within male and female relations.

The mark making process is a system which uses the text to highlight aspects of duality, designating added value to each letter while putting each through a form of retraction from their current environment. The process became a way to visualize a new skeletal system within the text and see the letters as individual entities that can be subjected to different roles.

Preface & Chapter One: FEMINISM
Chapter Two: MASCULINITY
Chapter Three: IDENTITY
Chapter Four: PRESENCE
Chapter Five: QUERCUS
Chapter Six: EXPRESS

Below is a video showing each page as I thumb through the pages, as well as the adapted individual works in their current state of representation.