Amanda Knowles

There is great beauty in the way that science strives to organize and order the world. Speaking to this organization and structure, my work is a non-literal use of the imagery of science, using layers of diagrams from engineering and physics to create surface and depth. The work references science in its omnipresence and omnipotence in today’s society, while also referencing the values of my upbringing in a household of scientists.

Although the work begins with a print, instead of creating an edition, I create multiple one of a kind images. The work is pieced together using prints as the underlying support for additional printed, drawn, and painted elements.

Technique
Using images culled from texts found in engineering and physics libraries, I created these pieces in layers. I began with a photographic method called gum bichromate printing. From there the backgrounds were created by intaglio wiping a deeply bit plate and adding a relief roll to its surface which was then printed on top of the gum bichromate print.  When the backgrounds have dried I cut and reassembled the prints by sewing and gluing the sections together making multiple unique backgrounds. The foreground elements were then silkscreened and/or drawn or painted on top. With this way of working I end up with multiple unique pieces different from a traditional edition traditionally created in printmaking.