Negative Conflict, 2004
These flash animations were inspired by the motion characteristics of fire and smoke. From observations of these natural elements I created a series of works about the arrow and the dynamics of conflict. I studied my own footage of fire from 1996 when I documented controlled burns at the Redwood and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks (National Park Service). I graphically translated the movement and colors of fire and smoke into a diagrammatic language of arrows. These animations were the first in a continuing exploration of the arrow. I perceive the arrow, now apropriated for bottle caps and road signs, as a stylized weapon distanced from its violent past. Negative Conflict was screened in Dublin, Ireland (in January 2006) as part of the group exhibition Despite My Good Intentions, A Wander Beyond.
Watch the animation. Watch a version from 2006, One Conflict.