Striations: Tony Blackmore | Robert Currie | Ben Gooding | Maribel Mas

CLOSE are delighted to present Striations, a group show with work by Tony Blackmore, Robert Currie, Ben Gooding and Maribel Mas. Striations explores how the meticulous repetition of multiple lines can accrete in such a way as to form a unified movement, transcending the individual parts of which it is composed. Often used to describe geological formations of sedimentary rock, the striations in this exhibition are the result of the slow, methodical building up of line after line, gradually coalescing over days, weeks and months to form complex and beautiful structures.

Each artist has developed a methodology requiring fine incremental actions that attest to time, material and labour. This might manifest in the tension of a thread, the score of a needle, the folding of a surface or the draw of a pen, but through these humble repetitions, works emerge that are as much meditations on process as they are visually arresting.

Maribel Mas traces the edge of a form with a pen, rotating this form around a chosen point with each repeat. This calm drawing process throws up stunningly intricate structures that seem both organic and mechanical. Ben Gooding utilises a similar process, but here a needle is used to score a metallic surface creating a kinetic movement of light that follows the curvature of the line.

This shifting optical effect is reflected in Robert Currie’s Nylon monofilament works. Stretched taut over frameworks using specific mathematical ratios, these monofilament lines reflect and absorb light, creating an immersive and dynamic sense of space. This shifting of states also applies to Tony Blackmore’s folded reliefs. Through a process of drawing, scoring and folding, he creates subtle mathematically derived movements using translucent drafting film. The geometric architecture of his compositions become activated in different ways according to the play of light from a given angle.

This exhibition allows the interconnected concerns of these diverse practices to open up a fascinating dialogue between the works.