Photobook Saturday

Pattern
In search of non-figurative ways of representing
the divine, I explored pattern.
Pattern can be an icon, a way of representing
god/dess or the unseen world. It is used in
different traditions (Kolam, mandalas, Tantra
paintings[15]) as well as by Spiritualist artists
(Emma Kunz[16], Hilda af Klimt and many lesser
known[17]) to seek the divine, or represent the
pattern of the universe.
It is non-hierarchical in its flattening of elements,
as well as potentially in its design. Pattern is
typically associated with women and the domestic
sphere[18], so not patriarchal. It is ancient,
connected to the earth and its rhythms, and iconic
ancient symbols inducing circles and spirals have
strong female associations. And something about
to me is drawn to pattern: there is an impulse to
break up an image, play with repeating it through
print, or put it through a kaleidoscope app, and
transform it into something new and abstract.
On the other hand, I questioned whether abstract
pattern could meet the need for something to
connect to or believe in, in the way I see icons as
functioning. McFague[19] pointed out that her
chosen metaphors for god – mother, lover, friend
- are all personal, because, she says ‘any
imaginative picture attempting to unseat the
triumphalist, royalist model must be at least as
attractive as it is. It must … come from a place
deep within human experience... imagery of sex,
breath, food, blood, water, birth.’
This as well as my interest in the abject drew me
to ancient patterns and symbols that have deep
associations with human experience, and also to
making tactile, physical, sensory objects rather
than just 2D computer-generated designs.
Womb of God, Pippa King 2020, detail
Triptych, Pippa King 2019 : a series of three patterns
made from photos