Netherlands
Erica van Seeters
‘There is no empty space.’ (Aristotle, 384-322 b.c.)
For years now, I have worked in different kinds of stone.
The form always lays hidden within the stone, waiting to be discovered.
I cut away everything that does not fit that form.
This form of the stone demands its own space in relation to its surroundings.
I am intrigued and challenged by the notion of this solid material, stone,
to be primarily ‘space, preceding ‘matter’.
Quantum physics has shown that an atom has a nucleus with electrons spinning around it.
The solidification – matter - is created by the motion of these electrons at different speeds.
Also in the gnostic philosophy of Karl von Eckarthausen (1752-1803),
we find this idea that ’the soul preceeds the form’.
So form is not an autonomous instance of matter.
I am fascinated by this phenomenon of motion, of energy that creates matter.
Since 2002, my works have been part of my ‘energy spaces’ series.
My favourite stone to work with is Belgian hardstone.
Shades of deep black to light grey and white give contrast to the reliefs,
with chiselling, sawing, drawing, sanding and polishing to create different layers.
Consider this phenomenon: a cell emerges. It is a world, a universe by itself:
a microcosmos and at the same time a macrocosmos.
What is inside can be found outside this cell , what is above is also reflected below.
There is no longer any ground on which to stand. Everything is space within space.
Thus the stone is transformed into a world of energy – pulsating, vibrating, spiralling.
There is no such thing as empty space!
For years now, I have worked in different kinds of stone.
The form always lays hidden within the stone, waiting to be discovered.
I cut away everything that does not fit that form.
This form of the stone demands its own space in relation to its surroundings.
I am intrigued and challenged by the notion of this solid material, stone,
to be primarily ‘space, preceding ‘matter’.
Quantum physics has shown that an atom has a nucleus with electrons spinning around it.
The solidification – matter - is created by the motion of these electrons at different speeds.
Also in the gnostic philosophy of Karl von Eckarthausen (1752-1803),
we find this idea that ’the soul preceeds the form’.
So form is not an autonomous instance of matter.
I am fascinated by this phenomenon of motion, of energy that creates matter.
Since 2002, my works have been part of my ‘energy spaces’ series.
My favourite stone to work with is Belgian hardstone.
Shades of deep black to light grey and white give contrast to the reliefs,
with chiselling, sawing, drawing, sanding and polishing to create different layers.
Consider this phenomenon: a cell emerges. It is a world, a universe by itself:
a microcosmos and at the same time a macrocosmos.
What is inside can be found outside this cell , what is above is also reflected below.
There is no longer any ground on which to stand. Everything is space within space.
Thus the stone is transformed into a world of energy – pulsating, vibrating, spiralling.
There is no such thing as empty space!
