Chaos and Order

The third exhibition in the Benham Gallery's 'Conversations' series. A series of conversations on the theme of Chaos and Order tried to define the two concepts and how they relate to the studio artists' practice and lives. Several artists use self-imposed procedures including sequences and time frames when creating their work, and considered how changing these practices might impact their outcomes.

The conversations took in trauma, sudden change and ageing and how these can disrupt the rhythm and habits of daily life - both how Order can refine Chaos and how Chaos can disrupt Order. They ranged over the emergence of language, ritual and religion in human culture, how the placing of specific colours and forms can be experienced as a meditation or a dialogue with the medium, and the Order seen in nature and its physical laws as well as unpredictable, destructive natural events. Some of these ideas are explored more deeply in the work exhibited.