Phyllotaxis 1976

Curator: Here we have Michael McKinnon's "Phyllotaxis," a work held in the Tate Collections. Editor: Well, hello, moody bloom! It feels like peering into a strange, gorgeous petri dish. Curator: The title refers to the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem, but McKinnon layers photographic imagery with geometric patterns. One can see the interplay between science and art here. Editor: It's like a science textbook dreamt it was a stained-glass window, all those circular shapes swimming in a kind of hazy broth. Are those real plants collaged in, too? The textures are so different. Curator: Indeed! The piece encourages us to consider the relationship between natural forms, mathematical principles, and the constructed image. Its fabrication highlights our persistent need to categorize and codify nature itself. Editor: It really makes you think about how we try to make sense of the world, huh? The controlled chaos of it all... gives me a pleasant shiver. Curator: Exactly. It’s about how we impose order, even if it’s an illusion. Editor: Yes, and its somber color palette does give it a melancholic undertone. Quite the mind-bender; I like it.