The Forms

Patterson Webster
The Forms   2018–2019
Coloured acrylic Plexiglas, corrugated tin, stainless steel
Collection of the artist

Nestled in a dim clearing in the woods, this installation consists of cubes, pyramids and three-dimensional rectangles made of yellow, orange and blue Plexiglas, a corrugated tin cylinder and a mirrored ball. These large-format shapes embody a theory developed by the Greek philosopher Plato, that objects and matter in the physical world are merely imitations of a Form, an essential quality without which an object would not be the thing it is.

The artist juxtaposes this concept with actual objects, basic shapes or forms that are the foundational elements of the built world, creating an oppositional relationship between an ancient idea and contemporary material. The work draws on her university studies in philosophy and reflects her interest in theories of knowledge, particularly as applied to questions of perception and reality.