Charles Livingston Studio
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Charles Livingston’s installations of accumulated marks and aggregate forms imply the infinite in
their endless repetition. He both seeks and offers an experience of existential expansion as he
generates dense pieces from simple systematic activity. We participate with him in an ironic
mechanism; a macrocosm appears out of a microcosm of specific moments in which time, place,
an self drop away.
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Charles Livingston’s work is about process. His drawings exist as the byproducts of a series of
repeated actions, conceived and meticulously carried out by the artist. An important distinction exists
within his overall production between drawings that are either internally (coming from the body) or
externally (based on limits outside the body) directed. His “Body Motion Drawings” are generated
from the accumulation of marks formed by the repetition of basic bodily gestures, such as the
extension of an arm away from the body or the movement of a hand in a counter clockwise circular
motion. Other works are derived from a predetermined set of parameters; working from left to right a
45 degree angle is dawn every 1/8 inch on a sheet of paper. The actions end when the long rolls of
paper on which he works run out.
Whether Livingston is working from an external or internal source, repetition is crucial. Simple
shapes and marks are selected that are intentionally void of overt self expression, Meaning,
according to the artist, is derived from the process itself. His accumulative method of creation
becomes almost meditative in its regularity. “Working is about that specific moment, of being mindful
of the task at hand, “ states Livingston, “a rhythmic concentrated engagement to the point of
transcending the physicality of the activity.”
Through the physical display of his drawings, the artist attempts to recreate something of the actual
moment of production. If a drawing was created in a vertical position, it will run down the wall, if it
was drawn on the floor, it will be presented as such. Livingston has also amassed an extensive
catalogue of sound recordings of his drawing sessions. With the addition of listening stations
positioned next to the works on display, visitors can hear the tapping of the artist’s pencil on the
paper as they view the actual drawings, placing the work in a sort of “real time.” In this multi-sensory
installation, the viewer is asked to enter the work through the artist’s perspective.
______________________________________________________________________
PDF Review by Andrea Kirsh for InLiquid, click here.
their endless repetition. He both seeks and offers an experience of existential expansion as he
generates dense pieces from simple systematic activity. We participate with him in an ironic
mechanism; a macrocosm appears out of a microcosm of specific moments in which time, place,
an self drop away.
- - Monica Bock, Associate Professor of Art, University of Connecticut, 2004
______________________________________________________________________
Charles Livingston’s work is about process. His drawings exist as the byproducts of a series of
repeated actions, conceived and meticulously carried out by the artist. An important distinction exists
within his overall production between drawings that are either internally (coming from the body) or
externally (based on limits outside the body) directed. His “Body Motion Drawings” are generated
from the accumulation of marks formed by the repetition of basic bodily gestures, such as the
extension of an arm away from the body or the movement of a hand in a counter clockwise circular
motion. Other works are derived from a predetermined set of parameters; working from left to right a
45 degree angle is dawn every 1/8 inch on a sheet of paper. The actions end when the long rolls of
paper on which he works run out.
Whether Livingston is working from an external or internal source, repetition is crucial. Simple
shapes and marks are selected that are intentionally void of overt self expression, Meaning,
according to the artist, is derived from the process itself. His accumulative method of creation
becomes almost meditative in its regularity. “Working is about that specific moment, of being mindful
of the task at hand, “ states Livingston, “a rhythmic concentrated engagement to the point of
transcending the physicality of the activity.”
Through the physical display of his drawings, the artist attempts to recreate something of the actual
moment of production. If a drawing was created in a vertical position, it will run down the wall, if it
was drawn on the floor, it will be presented as such. Livingston has also amassed an extensive
catalogue of sound recordings of his drawing sessions. With the addition of listening stations
positioned next to the works on display, visitors can hear the tapping of the artist’s pencil on the
paper as they view the actual drawings, placing the work in a sort of “real time.” In this multi-sensory
installation, the viewer is asked to enter the work through the artist’s perspective.
- - Meridith Malone, 2005, Going Through the Motions: Installations and Drawings by
Charles Livingston, Peng Gallery.
______________________________________________________________________
PDF Review by Andrea Kirsh for InLiquid, click here.
