COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

MFA ABSTRACT

Bronwyn Bain

PORTOLANO

When we rest within the stillness that is found everywhere –beneath each fallen leaf,

in the soft imprint of an insect’s step, in the silent space between stones and the

whisper of a night sound, we encounter the forward movement.

A Portolano is a book of sailing directions, with charts and descriptions of harbours. I chose the word Portolano as the title for my research because it reflects my belief that within our psyche is a form of Portolano.

My research involved exploring this natural instinct or mapping which seems to direct us to take time out, or to take a journey away from ourselves to rest and consider our new direction. It seems that this ‘time-out', or moment of solitude, is a natural part of our survival skills.

In an installation comprising oil painting, fresco and video imagery I explored the Portolano journey by using images and objects within their metaphorical and metaphysical aspects. The metaphorical role alludes to the many possibilities, ambiguities and paradoxes of solitude and its synonyms including stillness, serenity, tranquillity, aloneness and isolation. I interpreted the metaphysical in both its original and modern guises, the original being the theoretical philosophy of being and knowing; the modern supernatural, mystical, spiritual, transcendent and unearthly.

I found that the Portolano journey brings one to solitude and a state of aloneness, and secondly, within the harbour of solitude the experience of spiritual and emotional transition. It is a journey that connects with the sub-conscious through silence and nature. Within solitude there is a period where human perceptions die before being replaced with new ones. It is a death/rebirth encountering.