geometry

oc

cu

lt

tee

Jenn

ifer

in Occult Geometry Jennifer tee’s visual and sculptural language cap-tures and re-activates themes within western art history imbued with east-ern philosophy. the composition and geometrical arrangement of objects conveys a deep interest in the notion of sculpture exploring the possible fluidity of a structure, the transpar-ency of a solid surface paired with the possibility of concealing matter inside it, and the transitional quality of shifting function and becoming a stage for a choreography of future actions and movements. these are simultaneously formal and intel-lectual concerns that amalgamate in an attempt to visualize the fragile relationship between mind, body, and spirit. in conjunction with the exhibi-tion Occult Geometry, tee collabo-rated with dancer and choreographer marjolein Vogels to develop a group choreography for 20 dancers for the courtyard at Kunsthal charlottenborg. tee made a series of collages (dia-grams) combining and transforming elements from tao magic, the secret language of diagrams and calligraphy; Shuudan Koudou, the Japanese sport of precision walking; and ideas on geometrical abstraction articulated in the work of artists Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) and Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944). this set of diagrams, which incorporated materials such as pigments, herbs, ceramic domes and swirls, stones, crystals, matches and gunpowder, functioned as a score to be interpreted in the choreography, aiming at visualizing the magical in abstraction.

Jennifer tee, Occult Geometry, 2014Signal-center of contemporary Art, malmö hosted at Kunsthal charlottenborg, copenhagen, DK

tao magic

Shuudan Koudou

Wassily Kandinsky, 9 points in ascent

Proces Occult Geometry

Hilma af Klint, The Seven-Pointed Star

occult geo

met

ry

DiAgrAm SerieSKu

nSt

HA

l c

HA

rlo

tt

enB

or

g

1

geometry

oc

cu

lt

co

loP

Ho

nJe

nnife

r te

e, 2

014

Des

ign:

mee

uson

twer

ptA

ssis

tanc

e: A

nne-

Xua

n ll

anes

Phot

ogra

phy

diag

ram

s: g

ert-

Jan

van

rooi

j Ph

otog

raph

y ex

hibi

tion

: And

ers

Sune

berg

, fri

da g

rege

rsen

Ph

otog

raph

y pe

rfor

man

ce: r

ine

rodi

nPe

rfor

man

ce v

ideo

reg

istr

atio

n an

d ed

itin

g:

rebe

kka

Ank

er-m

ølle

r

the

exh

ibit

ion

Occ

ult

Geo

met

ry w

as g

ener

ousl

y su

ppor

ted

by th

e m

ondr

iaan

fun

d, c

urat

ed a

nd p

rodu

ced

by S

igna

l- c

ente

r of

con

tem

pora

ry A

rt a

nd h

oste

d by

K

unst

hal c

harl

otte

nbor

g, D

enm

ark.

thi

s pu

blic

atio

n is

sel

f-pu

blis

hed

in a

n ed

itio

n of

50

han

d-m

ade

book

lets

and

als

o ap

pear

s as

an

on

line

publ

icat

ion

at w

ww

.tee

teet

ee.n

l

DiAgrAm SerieSKu

nSt

HA

l c

HA

rlo

tt

enB

or

g

tHe moVement of tHe triAngle/tHe life of tHe SPirit Diagram series 1, plate 1 50 x 35 cm

“The life of the spirit maybe fairly represented in a diagram as a large acute angled triangle divided horizontally into unequal parts with the narrowed segment upper most…Slowly moving, almost invisible, forward and upward.”

from: Concerning The Spiritual in Art, Wassily Kandinsky, p.6

tHe moVement of t

He t

riA

ng

le

tHe lifeof

tH

e S

Pir

it

3

of tHe triAngle

tH

e m

oV

emen

t

tHe life

of

tH

e S

Pir

it

tHe moVement of tHe triAngle/tAliSmAn to VitAliZe tHe lungS Diagram series 1, plate 2 60 x 44 cm

this diagram combines floating triangles with a tao magic drawing, a talisman to vitalize the lungs.

“Sienkiewicz, in one of his novels, compares the spiritual life to swimming: ‘for the man who does not strive tirelessly, who does not fight continually against sinking, will mentally and morally go under.”

from: Concerning The Spiritual in Art, Wassily Kandinsky, p.6

tHe moVement of t

He t

riA

ng

le

tAliSmAnto V

itA

liZ

e t

He

lun

gS

5

of tHe triAngle

tH

e m

oV

emen

t

tAliSmAn

to V

itA

liZ

e t

He

lun

gS

tAliSmAn to VitAliZe tHe KiDneyS/ tHe femAle SeX orgAnSDiagram series 2a, plate 1 50 x 35 cm

“These life giving talismans seam to have been used in many different ways, including even burial ceremonies, but they all relate to spiritual power which was closely connected with the ancient cult of Earth Spirit.”

from: Tao Magic, The Secret Language of Diagrams & Calligraphy, laszlo legeza, p.50

tAliSmAn to VitAliZe tHe KiDneyS/ tWo femAle DAncerS WitH yin recePtAcleSDiagram series 2a, plate 2 50 x 35 cm

“The kidneys symbolize the female sex organs and the two shapes suggest a pair of female dancers with yin receptacles.”

from: Tao Magic, The Secret Language of Diagrams & Calligraphy, laszlo legeza, p.50

tAliSmAn

tAliSmAn

to V

itAliZ

e tH

e KiD

ney

S to

VitA

liZe t

He K

iDn

eyS

tHe femAle SeX

or

gA

nS

tWo femAle DAncerS

Wit

H y

in r

eceP

tAc

leS

7

to VitAliZe tHe KiDneyS

tAli

Sm

An

tHe femAle SeX

or

gA

nS

tWo femAle DAncerSWit

H y

in r

eceP

tAc

leS

After “tHe SeVen PointeD StAr +nine PointS in AScent”Diagram series 2b, plate 1 45 x 65 cm

The Seven-Pointed Star is the title of a drawing by Swedish artist Hilma Af Klimt from the US Series (1908). this drawing might be a reference to the Seven Pointed Star, a constellation of stars used in antiquity for navigation. this constelation of stars is also know as Seven Sisters or Pleiades, the daugh-ters of Atlas and Pleione in greek my-thology. the septagon or seven-pointed star is also used in occult symbolism and in antiquity had different meanings to cultures all around the world.

After “tHe SeVen PointeD StAr +nine PointS in AScent”Diagram series 2b, plate 245 x 65 cm

Nine points in ascent refers to a dia-gram of Wassily Kandinsky in Point in Line to Plain, his follow-up book to Concerning the Spirtual in Art. Kandinsky developed theories about the dematerialisation of an object and used his own unique terminology about the point in nature, music and dance, and the combination of point and line resulting in a unique visual language in which he touches on the role of paint-ing, texture, colour and the element of time.

+ nin

e Po

int

S in A

Scen

t”

+ nin

e Po

int

S in A

Scen

t”

After “tHe SeVen PointeD StAr

After “tHe SeVen PointeD StAr

in y

ello

Win

Blu

e

flAme

flAme

9

+ nine PointS in AScent”

Aft

er “

tH

e S

eVen

Po

int

eD S

tAr

in y

ello

Win

Blu

e

flAme

flAme

tAo mAgic/ tHe PAttern of cHAnge Diagram series 3a, plate 160 x 80 cm

Diagram with red pigment, excecuted in sharp lines. this drawing is remi-niscent of ancient cave drawings, or a sand drawing made with a stick.

tao magic diagrams are regarded as most potent talismans, believed to be charged with universal command over spiritual forces. these diagrams of sha-manistic origin are meant to meditate on, and to evoke the harmonizing influ-ence of yin-yang and eternal change. in a world aflame, retracing these ancient chinese drawings with vibrant pigments shows a gesture of a will to revive these potent talismans, to recall

and express a longing for a Pattern of change and to meditate on harmoniz-ing the world or the possibility of a dif-ferent unfolding of universal events.

tAo mAgic/ PI-LO: tHe SPAce Song of tHe Blue SKy Diagram series 3a, plate 260 x 80 cm

Diagram with indigo blue pigment, rolling clouds (heaven).

these diagrams are based on tao magic talismans and are to be interpreted in movement by a group or even a mass of people, preferably simultaneously around the world on public squares, courtyards and parks, ultimately be-coming a thought provoking phenom-enon evoking a Pattern of change.

mA

gic

mA

gic

tAo

tAo

of

cH

An

ge

of

tH

e B

lue

SK

y

tHe PAttern

PI-LO: tHe SPAce Song

11

mAgic

tAo

of

cH

An

ge

of

tH

e B

lue

SK

y

tHe PAttern

Pi-lo: tHe SPAce Song

tAo mAgic/CHIEN(in tune with time and creativity)Diagram series 3b, plate 175 x 57 cm

the manifestation of tao,or the origins of the cosmos as described in the Tao Te Ching, a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious taoism ascribed to lao tzu (6th century Bc):

The unnamable is the eternal realDarkness within darkness,the gateway to understanding.

the whole verse translated by gia-fu feng & Jane english (1972):

The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnameable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things.Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. This source is called darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding.

mA

gic

tAo

(in

tu

ne

Wit

H t

ime

An

D c

reA

tiV

ity

)

CHIEN

13

mAgic

tAo

(in

tu

ne

Wit

H t

ime

An

D c

reA

tiV

ity

)

CHIEN

tAo mAgic/inner PArAllel Diagram series 3b, plate 2100 x 70 cm

the whole verse of lao tzu in the Tao Te Ching, as interpreted by Stephen mitchell (1992):

Since before time and space were, the Tao is. It is beyond is and is not. How do I know this is true?I look inside myself and see.

mA

gic

tAo

PAr

All

el

inner

15

mAgic

tAo

PAr

All

el

inner

SHuuDAn KouDou (collective action) etHer PlAne/mAteriAl PlAneDiagram series 4, plate 1 50 x 84 cm

these plates were inspired by the Japanese sport of precision walking called Shuudan Koudou, meaning collective action.in this series hand-crafted, glazed ceramic domes and swirls are activated in the diagrams.

SHuuDAn KouDou (collective action) etHer PlAne/mAteriAl PlAne Diagram series 4, plate 2 50 x 84 cm

these spheres and swirls refer to the origins of abstract art as manifested in Af Klint’s The Atom Series and Series II and Kandinsky’s Concerning the Spiritual in Art and Point and Line to Plane, and their endeavor to unite abstraction with mystical concepts, thereby creating meaningful im-ages combined with esoteric thought.

SHuuDAn KouDou (collective action) etHer PlAne/mAteriAl PlAne Diagram series 4, plate 3 50 x 84 cm

the research into the origin of abstract art was extend-ed into the secret language of diagrams in the tao, an aspect of chinese art dating from the tao-tsang in the early ming dynasty (1368–1644).

SHuuDAn KouDou etH

er P

lAn

e

mAteriAlPlA

ne

SHuuDAn KouDou

SHuuDAn KouDou

etH

er P

lAn

eet

Her

PlA

ne

mAteriAl

mAteriAl

PlA

ne

PlA

ne

17

etHer PlAne

SH

uu

DA

n K

ou

Do

u

mAteriAl

PlA

ne

mAteriAl

mAteriAl

PlA

ne

PlA

ne

p. 3, 5 tHe moVement of tHe triAngle Diagram Series 1these diagrams function as mental visualizations. Keywords for performance interpretation:• Formation of a (spiritual)

triangle • Slowly moving, almost invisible,

forward and upward.

p. 7tAliSmAn to VitAliZe tHe KiDneyS Diagram Series 2aKeywords for performance interpretation:• Female • Duality• Vital • Mirroring• Energy • Splitting

p. 9 After “tHe SeVen PointeD StAr +nine PointS in AScent” Diagram Series 2bthese diagrams are a floorplan to interpret for the performance, in which the yellow and blue areas rep-resent the location of the two female dancers. in these diagrams, precision walking and a group action is suggested.Keywords for performance interpretation:• Walking diagonal lines• Walking wave lines• Inner square/courtyard• Yellow and blue areas for solo

performance• Flames/firemovement quality solos: • Spiral inward & spiral outward

p. 11 tAo mAgicDiagram Series 3athese diagrams are to be interpreted in movement by a group or even a mass of people, preferably simulta-neously around the world on public squares, courtyards and parks, at some point becoming a thought pro-voking phenomenon.movement quality plate 1:• Sharp and swirling turning lines• Think of charged electric mattermovement quality plate 2:• Tai-chi, slow fluent movement

p. 13, 15 tAo mAgicDiagram Series 3bmovement quality plate 1:• Walking in a large circle, or two half

circles, group action• Use of fire/flame and

wooden bow, line to planeKeywords for performance interpretation plate 2: • Cosmos | Micros• Internal space | Outer space• Sensual space• A split (persona) or the

fractured whole• Mirroring

p. 17 SHuuDAn KouDou (collective action) Diagram Series 4three sequential diagrams, keywords for performance interpretation:• Activating abstraction in geometry

through motion, by walking with a group of dancers geometrical shapes and patterns, like circles and squares, triangels and lines.

occult geo

met

ry

KeyWorDSfor

Per

for

mA

nc

e

19

geometry

oc

cu

lt occult

KeyWorDSfor

Per

for

mA

nc

e

21

PerformAnce occult geometry choreography: Jennifer tee & marjolein Vogels thanks to all the dancers for making this performance possible.

Duration: 17 minutes concept: Jennifer tee

Kunsthal charlottenborgoctober 26th, 2014

tHe moVement of tHe triAngle /tHe life of tHe SPirit

SHuuDAn KouDou (collectiVe Action)etHer PlAne/mAteriAl PlAne

tAo mAgic/CHIENin tune WitH time AnD creAtiVity

tAo mAgic/tHe PAttern of cHAnge