Introduction by Andrew van der Westhuyzen

Finding the new in the old and the old in the new is often a well-worn path for creative inspiration. With this series the two paradigms are brought together in a direct overlap. Someone (not me) could spend a lot of time wading into art theory about this construct, but it’s the chronological juxtaposition that makes this such a personally engaging exploration. The pleasing process of making these images is as much about communicating the skin of the forms as it is about showing the body. The eye is drawn down two simultaneous tangents, the first being the form and materiality that feels somehow better placed in science and technology, while the other, the surface story, goes into classical periods and provokes old motifs we feel like we’ve seen before but can’t quite place.

My appropriation of old decorative Persian, Moorish and European patterns plugs into the form of expression at the time. In those societies, it was the best mode available to describe the contemporary state of mind within the spheres of tradition, religion or technical advances. This was an art form that was always evolving, initially a handmade tradition till later when it was driven by technological advances in the Industrial Revolution. Decoration wasn’t decoration then, it was communication told through layers of context and symbolism. That everything had a place and logic in some of these intricate historical pieces sometimes escapes the modern eye, which perhaps only sees superfluous aesthetic detail. Where it gets interesting for me is when the pragmatic function of what appears to be a considered piece of industrial design intersects with this highly contrary decorative patterning. The two marry to create a third entity, something completely useless but, at the same time, a believable object with the feeling of value and utility.

Andrew is a designer, director and artist based in Sydney, Australia. Co-founder of creative collective Collider, Andrew’s role as Creative Director has seen his involvement span 20 years of design and motion direction for a multitude of creative projects ranging from animation for global brands, catalogues for international artists to placemaking for cultural institutions.