David Annesley

Description

The source of inspiration for Mandala Eighty goes back to the 1960's when David Annesley first set eyes on a series of drawings based on mandalas, which were made by a psychiatric patient under the guidance of Dr Carl G. Jung. A selection of these is published in 'Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious'.

Mandala is an ancient Sanskrit word meaning circle, polygon, community or connection and it is a symbol used in various religions, particularly Buddhism, to represent the universe and the self. Drawings that stem from these ideas often consist of four main elements, linked together through various linear patterns to a central core. These are made spontaneously and are designed to explore the sub-conscious imagination of the individual. They may appear geometrical, symmetrical and even mathematical, but are created with the same level of forethought and creativity as a doodle, where it is often unclear whether the drawn line leads the artist or the artist is leading the line.

Using his experience as a pilot, Annesley has based much of his sculpture over the past 15 years on the idea of translating these drawings into three-dimensional forms, where he visualised travelling along the space almost like a 'loop the loop' of an aeroplane. He intends viewers to explore his work in a similar way, tracing the maze of lines around until it becomes clear that each of the segments are in fact repetitions of the same crystalline shape, twisted at different positions and angles from a central point of focus.