Reflections on repetition, abstraction and transformation

Abstract

Abstract According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, abstraction refers to the cognitive process of isolating, or 'abstracting', a common feature or relationship observed in a number of things, or the product of such a process. New World Encyclopaedia describe abstraction in philosophical terminology as the thought process wherein ideas are distanced from objects. Abstraction uses a strategy of simplification that ignores formerly concrete details or leaves them ambiguous, vague or undefined. Abstract thinking, as opposed to concrete thinking, has no application in 'the real world' unless adapted to certain circumstances. For this reason, abstract thinking can be regarded as limited in capacity to affect change. Yet, abstract thinking can be seen as a basis for major transformation. Problem solving often involves combining abstract and concrete reasoning. This article will reflect on how abstract thinking can be seen as a basis for transformation. Drawing from examples from my own artistic practice, I will look at how repetition, as a means of abstract thinking, can be seen as a tool for bridging and repositioning perspectives.