SPOOR

The process of reconnecting with the chthonic is channelled in a vastly different way in the wall-mounted relief works of the Spoor series. In nature, spoor are traces of animal tracks, scents and broken foliage which indicate the presence of an animal in a particular area, and which can be utilised for animal tracking and surveying. Drawing inspiration from his encounters with spoor in nature, the tracks that Lewis is metaphorically pursuing here are those of the ‘wild twin’ of his unconscious.

A recurring theme in folklore, the wild twin is a parallel version of one’s self that has grown up in the wild rather than civilisation, and represents one’s instinctual self. The Spoor works are produced intuitively in the spur of the moment, and mark a direct engagement with the automatic unconscious. Formally, these pieces bridge the gap between the disciplines of painting, sculpture and printmaking – a vessel for raw, unfiltered emotion and a testament to corporeal experience.

Texts by Tim Leibbrandt.

Photography Mike Hall and Dylan Lewis