alexandra carr mrss

Cloud of Unknowing

The Cloud of Unknowing is a fog installation that plays with the boundary of materiality and immateriality. The concept of being ‘courageous enough to surrender one's mind and ego to the realm of "unknowing"’ is present in many forms of meditation, contemplation and prayer. The piece references a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer from the late Middle Ages and encourages us to move from intellection to experience.

The piece is constructed of panels of perspex that are individually suspended from the ceiling of Mickley church. Each panel is held 4mm apart so as to allow the box to fill with fog and slowly seep out of the edges. The installation is triggered by motion sensors, so as each new viewing takes place, the Cloud of Unknowing comes into being.

Sacred geometry was used to inform the work; multiple beams of converging light implied the ephemeral presence of a sphere, symbolising unity and division, while the cube housing the light and fog, is representative of manifestation and echoes the perception of understanding and illumination. The two forms in their ever-changing states of presence and absence are in constant tension, signalling that faith cannot be static but in constant evolution and in conversation with greater unknown forces.

Much like faith, the piece has a sense of presence without definition of form, seeping into its environment. It is ever-changing and elusive, much like our understanding of our place in the cosmos. As we approach comprehension, the edges dissolve away into the abstract nature and enormity of the concept, back to the ‘naked blind feeling of being’.

The Cloud of Unknowing was commissioned by Sculpt, a contemporary art trail in the countryside of North Yorkshire. Seven artists responded to seven churches with site-specific work. The project was supported by Arts Council England.