Charles Trevelyan

Trevelyan has long been interested in the degree to which our personal preferences on form can be shaped by, for example, subtle variations in the balances between symmetry and asymmetry, simplicity and complexity, or regularity and irregularity and how these in turn influence the way in which each individual responds to an object. A common misconception of his work is that it involves the direct creation of simulacra of forms or textures from the natural world. A more accurate encapsulation is that the works are carefully designed to elicit the same responses in the viewer that one may experience on encountering a natural object. This is accomplished by creating forms that may appear superficially similar to those found in nature yet are derived from processes that are fundamentally different in origin and material. One example is the series of complex organic-looking textures developed in the studio through a process of photographing simple geometric graphical patterns through multi-layered optical elements. The lines on the page are distorted in a kaleidoscopic manner, becoming curved and variegated, producing a complex black and white patterning that can be digitally extrapolated into a three-dimensional texture. The output of the process is a deeply textured surface that appears highly organic in character, reminiscent of the Fibonacci type morphology of pinecones or the complex layered exoskeletons of the insect world.