Towards a ‘spatial writing’: O Complex Mass

Abstract

The following contribution aims to convey a sense of O Complex Mass, an artwork I developed for Dilston Gallery, Southwark Park, London in 2022. O Complex Mass represents the first significant outcome resulting from a commitment to a new site-responsive approach to writing within my practice that I now refer to as ‘spatial writing’. This work is preoccupied with the complex relationship between writing and physical space – how the conditions under which we experience language (written or spoken) can have an impact on our understanding of its meaning. Could ‘site of reception’ be considered as a facet of language itself? By naming this approach ‘spatial writing’ I connect it to twentieth century avant-garde approaches within ‘spatial music’ as well as ideas around ‘critical spatial practice’ as defined by Professor Jane Rendell.