I just don’t think that way (2020)
I just don’t think that way (2020) is a time-based installation where earthly objects, photography and moving image combine to explore thoughts on otherness. Drawing on the nonhuman and natural world, Sammut presents a stage-like assemblage of minerals, plant life and astral forms. Although made from found and shaped materials, the work communicates through motion, relying on the perception of sentimental gesture within the collective movement of objects; equating motion with emotion. Using paper cutouts at human scale, the video’s gentle sway is reminiscent of seismic shifts or natural surges, breaking down the barrier between digital and handmade, viewer and other. As digital sculpture, the work draws attention to the shared experience of time as well as the performative qualities of video to connect with the misunderstood or unknown. Mirroring the behaviour of the natural world, the work aims to de-centre the individual and facilitate self-reflection, bringing the human condition and natural forces into a comprehensible relationship.
This work was commissioned by Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) and developed while on a two-month residency in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland in 2019, supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.