Britney Penouilh

Despite the advances we’ve made in technology, there’s something to be said for the things we still cannot control or predict. There’s a mystery and a reverence that remains in systems that have their own agendas such as weather patterns and earth processes. A hurricane has no regard for humans who have settled along the coast and communities cannot influence its trajectory. Earthquakes have no awareness of the gentrification or the cost of Los Angeles living. But the San Andrea’s Fault is a god worthy of fear – 750 miles, the length of California from Mexico to Mendocino Coast. We cannot predict when the next big quake will happen, but with a population exceeding 4 million in Los Angeles, we can expect a disaster of mass proportions. 

Earth systems have existed since the beginning of time and will continue beyond our humanly existence. These intelligent systems predate consciousness, and literally shape reality on Earth. 

With this body of work, I aim to unveil the depth of earth’s systems while simultaneously conveying elusiveness in our perception of the natural world. Using a collage aesthetic, fragments of books are assembled like layers of strata beneath the distressed surface of the painting. Selected pages divulge thoughts surrounding science, culture, religion and philosophy. The painting as a whole acts as a system relating to both time and space, material and decay, action and inaction – exerted on the surface that comes from the core of its’ processes. 

 

For more information about the artist, please visit her website.