Dioramas of the Divine

Diorama of the Divine: Poseidon
In Poseidon the viewer stands before a watery scene, a colossal coastal cavern of ancient rock, with strata formed over millennia and dripping with stalactites.As the viewer approaches the artwork, the water reacts turbulently to their presence. Gradually, the waters begin to advance, the water line rising ever higher and a subaqueon world emerges: a pod of dolphins swims amid a shoal of smaller fish. In controlling the tide with movement, the viewer adopts some of the mythical powers of Poseidon himself.Remnants of a lost city are discernible in the shadows, with its hypothesised design centred around circles of land and water, banded by enduring metals. The gold ring signifies divine symmetry and balance in nature and acts as an oculus between two worlds. It responds to the touch of the viewer and, when rotated, it controls the time of day. At the right time, Poseidon’s trident appears.
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Diorama of the Divine: Zeus
In this scene the artist presents the viewer with an all-encompassing landscape belonging to Zeus, god of the sky, thunder and lightning, and justice. It captures the viewpoint of a god overseeing both the heavens and the seas with humanity caught in a solitary plane of existence in between, subject to the whims of the gods.The heavens are defined by vapours, with the viewer fleetingly visible within. As an omnipotent participant, explorer and author of the piece, the viewer is gifted with an amplified awareness of natural forces, allowing them to manipulate the expanse before them.The seemingly floating lake has a mirror-like surface that reflects the vast and intricately depicted sky. The tranquillity of the water’s surface is subject to the whims of the viewer. When they touch the water surface, the might of Zeus’s thunderbolt is unleashed, briefly illuminating the entire diorama in a powerful, pure white light. In the depths of the ocean, the viewer can see relics of a lost city, an Atlantis of sorts, now transformed into a habitat for a myriad of sea life. A crumbling Gothic arch hints at the inevitable demise of every civilisation.
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Diorama of the Divine: Atlas
Perceived from a great height, the canvas opens on to a broad expanse, a rolling landscape of indeterminate scale. Rays of sunlight penetrate the clouds of vapour, momentarily touching the ground with god-like tendrils, and sending light and shadow across the sphere.The viewer’s motion directed to the sky creates a billowing vortex of cloud or leaves wisps of gently trailing mist. The scene subtly transitions from day to night. An indigo sky, defined by encircling constellations, comets and celestial bodies, revolves overhead and spins gently round its central axis, gradually gravitating towards the surface.The challenge is to maintain the elevation of the stars and prevent a collision between heaven and earth, which would annihilate the civilisations below. Occasional stars fall but can be caught and returned to their spatial realm. As the viewer experiences this impossible burden and the continual struggle to hold up the heavens, an understanding dawns: they sit at the centre of these heavens and must bear this unfathomable weight.