Comfort in Uncertainty ~. by Jennifer Noxon
On the wall in my studio, I have a small piece of paper torn from an advertisement in some glossy magazine that states ‘comfort in uncertainty’. It’s there as a daily reminder that I have a choice in how I perceive, accept and interact with the constant companion of ‘not knowing’. The time of ‘COVID’ was loaded with uncertainty and discomfort on many levels, but it also gave us time to pause, to listen to ourselves, and to take advantage of long periods of isolation.
6”x6” collage
During COVID, my paints and brushes stayed in their jars. I remember this little flutter of an idea that was about wanting to mark the slow passing of time. A project that would be the sum of many small parts. Something akin to someone marking the passing of days on the wall with a pencil. I was doing some collage at the time and ended up with a 6” x 6” piece that symbolized a clock. I had an ‘aha!’ moment and started a cumulative piece that would end up with more than 100 six by six inch pieces. When putting the pieces together they became a singular larger piece, resembling a “quilt”. Every piece rotated ¼ of a turn to represent the passing of time.
The visual ‘quilt’ happened over many months and is called Comfort in Uncertainty. During periods that seemed never ending, or on days when I couldn’t seem to focus on anything, I was able to go to the studio and make one, or two or more of these pieces. At the same time, I was invited to create a short time-lapse art video for Shawna Caspi, a Toronto-based songwriter who was releasing a collection of new songs with accompanying art videos created by a variety of artists. The video documents the assembling of the pieces into the larger piece.
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Section of Comfort in Uncertainty / Jennifer Noxon