In all my work, whether it be in two or three dimensions, I am constantly dealing with principles of physical existence. Within these realms, I exercise the parameters of visual and environmental concerns, and strive towards a perfection of their composition and representation.

With my background in the built environment, I have always understood true architecture to be the modification of our already existing environment, in an attempt to better its conditions for human habitation. Inherent in this, we live both ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ the so classified ‘built environment’, with the interface between these being of utmost importance to an integrated and complete living environment. The architectural result should simply be a composition of spaces for people to utilise (the nature of which can be both ‘inside’ and ‘outside’), and which is linked back into the existing environment – thus creating a pleasant experience for us to move around and inhabit our broader ‘home’.

My two dimensional work takes real spaces that I have experienced as its reference point, and pushes these into the unreal world of abstraction so as to ‘improve’ upon selected parameters of their composition. I enjoy two dimensional work for this freedom, as well as its essential characteristics of illusion. The two dimensional format (unlike any other) ironically allows the representation of an abstraction from reality. Within this format, I can selectively and more purely illustrate and study the principles of physical reality, without the clouding of the infinite overlays of the entirety of three dimensional reality.

In two dimensions I try to push the duality of the concept of ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ to its limits, and to its ultimate integration via ambiguity. This ambiguity is then taken further, into the most essential and abstract parameters that compose our physical environment – being space, material, and the associative relationship between these. At this level, the ambiguity promotes oscillation, as an attempt is made to compose a ‘picture’ of some physical representation from the abstracted ‘structure’ I present. To assist in this, I play with the ‘lower order’ parameters such as colour, light, scale, and dynamism (to mention a few). The result is to allow for a playful experience of the observer’s imagination, within these very serious principles of our physical environment.

Moving from the two dimensional surface into ‘object’ sculpture, physical reality must now be dealt with. But still there is the ability to choose parameters of this physical reality to predominantly deal with. From object sculpture – viewed from outside the object as we walk around it – we move onto environmental sculpture. In environmental sculpture, I move into the object, and I still have choices from the parameters of physical reality to deal with. The ultimate challenge then, arises in the design of three dimensional environmental reality, as within this realm, I must try to deal with all of the principals of existence at the one time. My professional practice of ‘environmental design’ offers the integration of architecture, landscape, and interior design, in order to create a complete and integrated environment of the highest quality.

Creative Riverina

Chris Helyar Design