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Lucy Hardcastle: Mesmera
The phenomenon of iridescence makes the color of a surface appear to shift and change, both lustrous and in motion. It is the sticky gleam of an oil slick, the rainbow pearl of a bubble before it bursts, the shimmering colors of the scales of fish and the feathers of birds. For Taupe, interdisciplinary artist Lucy Hardcastle and her studio created a series of images titled ‘Mesmera’ inspired by the way in which iridescence is used as a form of defense in the natural world.
“These visual works represent a fleeting moment of interior-to-exterior transformation that creates a suspension of colour perception, acting as a dazzling shield or anti-camouflage,” Hardcastle explains.“Dependent on angular movement and surface-based geometry, organisms using iridescence in this way are startling predators with something unexpected and other-worldly.”
“The sculpted shapes are directly influenced by Ernst Haeckel’s Art Forms in Nature (1899). His research demonstrates the importance of evolution and the development process of complex living organisms, with shapes originating from studying single cell organisms at a microscopic level, which displayed complex patterns of symmetry reminiscent of crystals. Complex patterns, whether on the surface or deeper, are intrinsic to producing iridescence.”
Lucy Hardcastle is a London-based interdisciplinary designer and digital artist. Her work focuses on tactility, visual illusions and sensual aesthetics through digitally rendered pieces, sculpture, set design and moving image.
Lucy Hardcastle: Mesmera
The phenomenon of iridescence makes the color of a surface appear to shift and change, both lustrous and in motion. It is the sticky gleam of an oil slick, the rainbow pearl of a bubble before it bursts, the shimmering colors of the scales of fish and the feathers of birds. For Taupe, interdisciplinary artist Lucy Hardcastle and her studio created a series of images titled ‘Mesmera’ inspired by the way in which iridescence is used as a form of defense in the natural world.
“These visual works represent a fleeting moment of interior-to-exterior transformation that creates a suspension of colour perception, acting as a dazzling shield or anti-camouflage,” Hardcastle explains.“Dependent on angular movement and surface-based geometry, organisms using iridescence in this way are startling predators with something unexpected and other-worldly.”
“The sculpted shapes are directly influenced by Ernst Haeckel’s Art Forms in Nature (1899). His research demonstrates the importance of evolution and the development process of complex living organisms, with shapes originating from studying single cell organisms at a microscopic level, which displayed complex patterns of symmetry reminiscent of crystals. Complex patterns, whether on the surface or deeper, are intrinsic to producing iridescence.”
Lucy Hardcastle is a London-based interdisciplinary designer and digital artist. Her work focuses on tactility, visual illusions and sensual aesthetics through digitally rendered pieces, sculpture, set design and moving image.