Sahar Jamal – Delve

Artist Statement:

I capture images at 140x magnification using a Foldscope. The foldscope is an origami paper microscope designed to be less than $1 to create. This instrument is a symbol in itself of what I am inspired by. Curiosity is universal and a vital driving force towards conceptual evolution. The global distribution of such a tool acts as ignition for intellectual revolution. I hope to echo this sentiment and to help bridge the gap between the sciences and the humanities.

Each time I capture an image, I reflect on it. I conjure up phrases that express my interpretations of the colours and contours. I involve myself in the lore and nuance of the object I am viewing. I try to find that which lies buried in clear sight and in murky mind. Literature is my anchor; I trawl, mostly through books on my shelves, until I find a fitting quotation. A serendipitous excitation fires and the foundation is grounded. Thus, art is created. Quotations from Nietzsche, Tennyson, Frantz Fanon, Khalil Gibran, William Blake, John Fowles, D.H. Lawrence, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Plato, Immanuel Kant, John Keats, Da Vinci, Rumi, Shopenahuer, Michael Ondaatjie, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Alan Paton, T.S. Eliot, Jung and more…

Most of the images also have an associated video and song that can be viewed on the scopes_and_quotes profile on Instagram under the highlight ‘Music and Focus’. I use a similar process searching for fitting lyrics as I do searching for a quote. Musical excerpts from David Bowie, Pink Floyd, The Cure, Leonard Cohen, The Velvet Underground, The Beatles, R.E.M., Joy Division, The Blue Nile, Morrissey, Talking Heads, Nirvana and more…

Date: 23 October 2021
Time: 4.00pm – all day
Price Free
Pre-book by emailing [email protected]

No Mask, No Entry. Koena Art Institute – Where Legends, culture and excellence Meet.