David Lemm - Maps and Diagrams

Lemm's work is very intriguing, not only for its visual aesthetic but also the substance and inspiration behind it. He creates very clean, seemingly random yet almost regimented and clearly purposeful compositions of shapes, lines and symbols, responding to places or experiences or journeys in a very abstract way. Using a combination of collage and different print making techniques, numbers and dials and lines sit on top of areas of very tactile, analogue-looking textures, neighbouring symbols and motifs similar to those found on actual maps. Although at first these elements appear to have just been thrown randomly together on a page, I believe based on his inspirations and meanings behind each piece that the way the pages are laid out is important, perhaps relating to the references and subjects he is depicting. The resulting images are very abstract and ambiguous, at times a bit confusing but engaging and very intriguing; you end up wondering what is actually being portrayed within the marks and shapes, and reading about his ideas you start to piece together the content of what he expresses.
David Lemm seems very drawn to environments and landscapes, the way we interact and respond to them, and our relationship to our surroundings. He often 'maps' out places and experiences with his motifs and diagrams, and the way he does this is very interesting. The definition of these maps is a loose one, where it seems as though they are less focussed on where things are in relation to each other (like a traditional map) but they act more as a representation of what makes up a place, a collection of what elements build it up and how they can be visualised. This way of mapping reminds me of the sound maps we did at the start of the week; the experience is built up abstractly as a series of marks and lines and shapes, and is less about representing a physical object in a drawing but more about visualising a feeling or an emotion or a sense of something. They put no importance on accurate depictions and all importance on capturing visually, sometimes subjects that are not even physical at all, like experience.

These responses to landscapes and views are probably the most obvious depictions of physical forms, but created to feel more diagrammatic and abstract than simply drawing a mountain. Shape holds precedence, embellished with texture and pattern to create depth and layout, distinction between different elements, as well as physical textures and surfaces. The use of one colour perfectly compliments these textures and shapes, creating a contrast between the somewhat harsh forms of the rocks and bold mountain shapes.

I really love this map on the left. Aesthetically I find it very appealing and engaging, I think for it's systematic layout and border; the lines are regimented and contained within the box, they are free within it's space but still kept uniformed and controlled. This nicely juxtaposes the lighter map diagram in the background, the free and flowing forms of nature.