The Universe is made of nothing - Installation, video & photography by Philip Soliman

An exhibition of new work by Phil Soliman

January 21 5.30-8.30pm space|space 3/97 Leinster Street Paddington

ARTIST'S BIO

After graduating from the Bachelor of Multimedia at Charles Sturt University, Phil Soliman set out to understand the world more fully through the creation and manipulation of images, words and sounds. Chance and experimentation play a vital role in his practice. By allowing outside forces, such as random-number-generating algorithms in computer software, or the 'fuzzy logic' of human interaction, to affect the final result, Phil introduces another dimension of meaning to his creative process, and draws attention to his place as an artist within the social and physical machine called Earth.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

For most of my adult life, I have been fascinated by the scientific investigations of sub-atomic particles. The most captivating aspect of these fragments was their completely contradictory behaviour when studied within the grand old science of physics. Scientists were bewildered by how the same particle could be in two different places at the same time. Or how particles could move forwards and backwards through time. Or even, incredibly, how two particles that were in two vastly distant places could actually affect each other, instantaneously. In other words, they appeared to be magical. And the universe was made of them!

Here was glaring proof that the old laws of physics were not the absolute truths physicists claimed them to be. Physical scientists were forced to step into the wobbly world of philosophy. And belief. Discussions about the possibility of parallel dimensions, time travel, astral projection, telepathy, telekinesis and a host of other crazy nonsense were occurring within a scientific framework. At the root of all this madness was the idea that the Universe appeared the way it did because of our perception, and that beneath this appearance there was a featureless, infinite fabric that could be bent and shifted and shaped by our will, if only we knew. It seemed like the Universe was actually made of nothing but consciousness.

This body of work is my attempt to access the part of your brain that wonders that maybe the above assertions could be true, and open your mind to the possibility that the Universe is made of nothing.