Dimensional compression

Iza Tarasewicz’s artistic explorations have since the very beginning concentrated on matter. Tarasewicz used it in a direct manner, at the same time treating it as a tool in the reflection on human condition. She utilised organic materials which evoke disgust, such as intestines, bladders or fat tissue. Whereas Dimensional Compression is a part of this trend, it presents a new approach; here, being interested in the elementary structure of matter and the scientific theories that describe it, Tarasewicz focuses on what lies outside sensual perception. Study visits to Georgia and Berlin (2011, 2014) contributed to this breakthrough in her approach.

The change in the trajectory of Tarasewicz’s explorations is revealed through the form of the objects. They are less amorphous and more geometric, with modules modelled on diagrams and schemata. Her works became more controlled and disciplined. A strong humanistic element notwithstanding, references to exact sciences cause the abstract objects, albeit hermetic, to be perceived as capable of explaining the reality. Commenting on her works, Tarasewicz emphasises her interest in the life of objects, the energy of matter, the collisions of particles. The world of objects she takes holistically, seeking interactions between things, an order that governs the universe, as well as deviations from this order which cause new qualities to arise.

The object entitled Dimensional Compression consists of two identical flat, hexagonal elements joined in such a way that the whole resembles a concertina. The object, which when unfolded is a few metres long, folds down to less than a metre. Its spatial compactness refers to the need for compressing matter and energy. Another inspiration pointed out by Tarasewicz is the human DNA and its ability to condense huge amounts of information. The object evokes fundamental models and structures known from biology and physics, as well as theories of spatial dimensions. Yet Tarasewicz’s turn towards images related to science does not mean that tactile or olfactory features of substances lost their appeal to her; the texture, density and temperature of materials are still crucial to her. Dimensional Compression is an object made by hand from canvas and medium-density fibreboard following the rules of concertina construction. Craftsmanship is here intertwined with technology, the palpability of matter with the scientific abstraction, a model of a concertina with theories concerning the structure of the universe.

Izabela Kopania

translated from Polish by Klaudyna Michałowicz