EnsoExpansion
Elvire Roberts
Artwork for ‘Infinity‘ (Issue 24)
The Science
A hen’s eggshell is formed using a high percentage of stacked columns of calcium carbonate, which increases its rigidity in comparison with reptile and mammal eggshells. Upon being broken, the fragments expand and shatter further. This process can continue infinitely. In black and white, the eggshell looks like it is moving through space, past the stars which will eventually explode to produce more calcium and carbonate, through the infinitely expanding universe.
An ensō (‘circular shape') is a single brushstroke drawing used in Zen Buddhism in meditation on the infinite interconnectedness of all things. It can be complete or broken.
https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/science/eggshell/eggshell1.php
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ab9e66
https://warwick.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/white_dwarfs_reveal/
The Medium
An unfertilised hen's egg was broken and left to dry on a piece of paper outside. This received the treatment of English weather; although this process could have continued indefinitely it was interrupted by the artist. The resulting artefact was photographed using a Canon PowerShot SX260HS digital camera and processed into black and white using Apple’s native photo editing software. At the time, the artist was drawing and then destroying a daily ensō as part of a repeated cycle of making and breaking.
The Artist
Elvire Roberts is a Queer poet and sign language interpreter who lives in Nottingham, UK. She is widely published in journals including Dark Mountain, Finished Creatures, Magma, Reliquiae, Tears in the Fence, Tentacular, and the anthologies Ten Poems About Getting Older and Apocalyptic Landscape. She has two recent publications: her individual pamphlet North by Northnorth (Five Leaves Press) and Knee to Knee (Dialect Press), which is a collaborative, synergetic poetry book, each poem co-written with Rachel Goodman.
Copyright statement. This work is published under the CC BY-NC-SA license