My work focuses on the way things evolve.  Chaos Theory postulates that systems evolve according to a “sensitive dependence on initial conditions.”   Tiny differences at the onset of growth are magnified by time and repetition to eventually create complex entities and systems.

My working process parallels this idea.  Some of the sculptures are comprised of a single band of metal that can serve as a metaphor for a growing system.  At first, the direction that the band travels is determined by the surface of the original form, but soon, it starts to respond to its own structure.  Intersections and nodes emerge as distinct secondary forms and the traveling line responds to these in turn.

The sculptures that result from this process often exhibit clusters and intersections that suggest a type of order reminiscent of those seen in natural and human-made systems.  These patterns relate to evolution at various scales–from the growth of lichen, to the topography of the earth,  or from the construction of a computer chip to the layout of cities and roads.

Francis Fox

May 2004