Flow as You Will 1977

Editor: Okay, so we're looking at John Dowell's "Flow as You Will," created in 1977. It's a drawing, seems like some kind of etching maybe. I'm immediately struck by the sense of emptiness, almost like a vast landscape with these tiny, fragmented structures dotted around. It's... unsettling, somehow. What do you make of it? Curator: Unsettling, yes, I get that. It whispers more than it shouts, doesn't it? For me, it feels like peering into someone’s mind, those scattered lines and forms representing fleeting thoughts or memories. Notice how the lines aren't definitive? They suggest, rather than declare, encouraging us to complete the picture, fill in the gaps with our own experiences. It makes me wonder, what flows freely within us, and what gets caught, trapped like those little clusters of ink? Editor: That's a really interesting way to think about it. I was seeing them as structures, but the idea of them being trapped thoughts… that resonates. It's almost like an emotional cartography. Curator: Exactly! And the title reinforces that notion, doesn't it? "Flow as You Will." It's both an invitation and a gentle challenge. A reminder to let things go, to allow ourselves to be carried along, even when the landscape feels sparse or undefined. It prompts the question: What happens when we resist that flow? Editor: It gets dammed up, maybe? Creates tension, those tight little ink clots. Wow, this has really given me something to think about... way more than just lines on paper. Curator: Precisely! It's the beauty of art, isn't it? How something so seemingly simple can unlock such complex internal dialogues. "Flow as You Will" invites us to reflect on the currents within ourselves.