Chloe Copley

As humans, we tend to avoid discussing the negative or inevitability of things that are beyond our control – for instance, death, mental, or physical decline. We fear most what we cannot control. ‘Existent’ aims to identify these through an abstract and expressive visual installation that is the combination of a process led creative practice. Textile manipulation, embroidery, photography, painting, and drawing have been combined digitally using Adobe Photoshop, to then be thermo-printed onto three 60x250cm Paris Chiffon fabric panels which can be suspended in any interior environment.

Existent is a body of work driven by experimentation, abstract visuals, and the relationship between two and three dimensionality. Such focuses have enabled further exploration and control of various materials that remain physically separate, but are brought together in a complementary fashion that ensures consistency in theme. It focuses on relatively abstract philosophies such as existentialism, astrology, astronomy, and fate, aiming to overwhelm and inspire viewers into contemplating the larger questions surrounding our lives. The concept of existentialism came to fruition in post-war Europe, confronting notions of of the human condition, creating internal tensions regarding freedom and individualism, along with an underlying “fascination with liminal experiences of anxiety, death, the ‘nothing’ and ‘nihilism’”. This, combined with the ambiguity of astrological readings, has been combined visually with the intention of creating uncomfortable conversations and a space for self-reflection.