In the beginning, an impossible calendar 2016

Editor: So this is Joseph Dadoune's "In the beginning, an impossible calendar," from 2016. It seems to be a mixed-media installation, with a very striking, almost oppressive monochrome palette. What strikes you most when you look at it? Curator: Immediately, the grid. The insistent regularity, yet each unit maintains an internal variation, preventing absolute monotony. It provokes the question: what structural principle is Dadoune attempting to reveal or perhaps conceal through this careful arrangement of dark, textured rectangles? Consider the relationship between these forms. Editor: They almost seem like individual days in a month, but presented in a very abstract, almost bleak way. The texture within each rectangle is so different. Curator: Precisely. And it's that tension between uniformity and difference which creates a stimulating visual experience. What is the impact of the negative space—the pale wall surrounding these dark blocks? Note how it affects your perception of their form and relative weight. Semiotically speaking, what signifiers do these monochrome rectangles carry? Editor: The wall almost provides a stark contrast, emphasizing their darkness and, as you mentioned, their individual textures. It gives the impression of isolation to each piece, even within the overall grid. But are they truly rectangles, or are our eyes trying to make them conform to some perfect geometric shape? Curator: A pertinent question. Note the artist's hand at play here: the textural variations suggest an interest in material processes. What occurs when you cease imposing familiar shapes and accept irregularities of form and structure? Is Dadoune inviting you to ponder on a particular semiotic experience about time or perhaps existence itself? Editor: It makes you really focus on the individual components and appreciate their subtleties, which you might miss if it were a smoother, more homogenous surface. Thanks; that formal analysis is quite helpful. Curator: Indeed. Close observation reveals structural principles—a method which, I hope you’ve discovered, illuminates more than initially meets the eye.