Fatima Tayob Moosa | Periodic Motion

My work can be described as a generative process that explores my understanding of life, related to spiritual, religious and cultural beliefs. Through the continuous process of painting and mark making, in the form of a pendulum, I am communicating and investigating my belief that all matter and energy is connected through the circular spiral form which is made up of micros and macros that form a whole. I see the pendulum as a natural scientific system that reflects a global construct of everything that is, seen in the movement and make-up of the universe as well as anatomical and molecular structures that occur in nature. This movement is also an encapsulation of a state of being which occurs on a physical, mental and spiritual dimension.

I am exploring how this motion can be translated into the concept of evolution and metamorphosis, by continuously re-generating the marks and nuances created by the pendulum through the use of positive and negative space.

My experience with the pendulum thus far, is that it always follows a path, once released in to motion, whether symmetrical, asymmetrical, balanced or imbalanced, it always follows a predetermined course of motion. I am interested in this dichotomy between the pre-determined path of the pendulum and its many “spontaneous” outcomes, which can be seen as somewhat ironic, but also reflects the synergy between the idea of fate and free-will.

This process allows me to introspect on what faith means to me, which is a deep connection with a higher universal energy seen in a symbiosis between my individual expression and the system generated by the pendulum.