Feral Ground

Circa 1980
Woodcut
Two panels 65 x 50 centimeters each

During my art school years there was a rally organised to protest a visit by the American behaviourist psychologist, BF Skinner. I became intrigued about the leftist dislike of Skinner's theories which included the notion that free will was an illusion. The cold reductionism of his conclusions had little appeal for me but the conditioning which he felt drove human behaviour held some interest as an art investigation. I decided that the terms to frame such an idea would be public discouse which in the realm of politics and business is often propelled by a competetive aggressiveness.

The images came from film stills which I treated with a photocopier to knock out any intermediate tones from the tonal structure. The outlines were traced and transferred using carbon paper to provide cutting guides on the woodblocks. The design was reduced to the minimalist geometries in which the figures operate and each panel is given a simple formulaic saying; HE WANTS - HE SQUEEZES and STIMULUS - ACTION. This woodcut was designed so that the panels can stacked either vertically or horizontally for display, depending on the owners' preference.

Backgound of the screen prints 1977-1981