Jonathan Jones / Kamilaroi/Wiradjuri people / Australia b.1978 / lumination fall wall weave 2006 / Electrical cable, light fittings, bulbs on painted MDF board / 363 x 720 x 25cm (installed, variable) / The Xstrata Coal Emerging Indigenous Art Award 2006 (winning entry). Purchased 2006 with funds from Xstrata Coal through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: QAGOMA / © Jonathan Jones

Jonathan Jones
lumination fall wall weave 2006

Not Currently on Display

In lumination fall wall weave 2006, Jonathan Jones transforms MDF board, electrical cable, light fittings and bulbs into a compelling work that could initially be read as a minimalist installation.

He punctures the white painted board and threads the white cable through in repetitive patterning which glows when the light bulbs are turned on, illuminating the surface and creating shadows that exaggerate the surface of the work.

Jones creates a conceptual framework which embodies notions of human connection and commonality; the electricity pulses through the individual interlocked cables to create an entity, with the interplay of light a strong metaphor for community. lumination fall wall weave encompasses the viewer in its light and engages with the immediate environment.

Jonathan Jones incorporates Aboriginal practices, relationships and ideas in his work, especially those of his Wiradjuri people, and he often collaborates with local Indigenous communities on his projects. He is well known for his minimalist light installations, which have, at times, been inspired by woven nets.

 

Discussion Questions

1. What social issues does Jones investigate in this artwork?

2. How does the artist engage his audience in order to communicate meaning? How does his choice of materials relate to the meaning of the work?

3. Why do you think it was important to the artist to create light in this artwork?

Classroom Activities

1. Follow the pattern in the artwork with your eye and sketch it on a piece of paper.

2. On a sheet of white foam core, create a grid of holes by using push pins or bamboo skewers. Use string or wire to weave a pattern that represents your own idea of human connectedness.