This project, entitled ‘Death of the Author’, and the first in an ongoing series, is inspired partly by the well-known essay by Roland Barthes, and is an attempt to illustrate the process of how an artistic creation passes from its author to its audience. I am currently in the final stages of publishing a first novel and this latest art work can be viewed as a parallel rewriting of this in a visual medium. The idea of the interpretation of an artistic creation transferred from creator to consumer is one which I see as applicable to all art forms, embracing literature, painting and music.

 

The project is in the form of a triptych in which ‘Salvation’, the central panel, represents the infinite renewal of meaning, and is flanked by ‘Insurrection of the Text’ on one side and ‘Death of the Author’ on the other. ‘Background Voices’ is an ongoing project in which imaginary conversations form an audio backdrop to each art work and offer the ‘viewer’ the chance to be more than just an observer, but to be part of a simultaneous audio-visual experience. These voices are formed into a recording of 3 characters – an art critic, the ordinary person in the street and the painter themselves - engaged in a conversation about each piece, each voice giving their different perspectives.