“To watch Coalescence is to be raised into a buoyant state of satisfied expectation.'’1 

What initially looks like Fielden’s concrete studio floor transforms into a state of fluidity as ink meets water. This video work is as much about the mathematical concepts of fluid dynamics and the Big Bang theory as it is about the emotional physicality of two materials becoming one.

The merging of two bubbles is the quintessential example of coalescence, which is when two forms merge on a molecular level. Such phenomena can also be seen on a cosmic scale, such as the inevitable collision of the Andromeda and the Milky Way galaxies. Fielden’s work attempts to place a finger on patterns that cross all scales of behaviour, from the bonding of two atoms to the collision of vast galaxies.

Coalescence is a video work that presents the fusing of two fluids, water and ink, until they disappear into one singular state of black. Rather than resolving into an empty space, the depth of blackness becomes a vast and infinite void that you enter into. It has a depth that demonstrates drawing as an essentially fluid act. Fielden’s approach to drawing through video mimics the microscopic view of ink flowing out of the pen onto paper, alluding to the endlessly varied states of matter.

Emma Fielden is represented by Dominik Mersch Gallery.

1 Carol Jenkins, Ebb, Flow and Raven Gloss: Looking at Emma Fielden’s Approaching Zero, 2020,https://www.emmafielden.com/carol-jenkins-ebb-flow-and-raven-gloss-looking-at-emma-fieldens-approaching-zero 

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The Cube is a contemporary exhibition space featuring experimental and media work.

Image: Emma Fielden, Coalescence (video still), 2019, HD video 9:10 minutes, sumi ink and water. Courtesy of the artist and Dominik Mersch Gallery