Deep Sea Dis-comedusae Hayden Prujean and Carlos Wedde

The metaphor of deep waters conjures up the idea of a depth of feeling and emotion so profound it could consume us entirely. The wayfarers and sailors of the era of nautical explorations of the oceans were fictionalised in relation to this metaphor. Their struggles with existence were epitomised by writers such as Herman Melville or H.P Lovecraft, who wrote as much about the fear and loathing of the unknown as the adventure of being out on the deep.

The deep ocean is intrinsically connected to our knowledge of the origins of life itself and of our biological starting point. These ideas - while promising a connection to the enormous lineage of life and its evolution - have taken on a quotidian, almost mundane quality in the modern era, driven in part by the utility with which the environment is regarded. It is, however, also possible that through this utility we are more connected to nature than ever before. And even though we are moved by an awareness of the vast sea of life into which we are immersed we inevitably look back at this point of origin with a range of perceptions, mediations or reductions. It now seems that the incomprehensible and sublime vastness of the ocean is about to be overwhelmed by the accumulated trivialities of humanity.

For Deep Sea Dis-comedusae Prujean and Wedde pursue their own Nautical Exploration, venturing into a series of sculptural installations and painted tableau which utilise lowbrow imagery and draw upon a pseudo-sculptural science to evoke a natural environment absurdly reduced to a set of principles. This artificial ocean represents a space full of mysteries; the least of which may be the origin of life itself. In this respect the project reflects the consequences of being unhinged from an experience of that origin.

 “There go the ships; there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein.” - Psalms.

Click to view video documentation (Vimeo)

Visit the Deep Sea Dis-comedusae blog (Tumblr)

Hayden Prujean is a multimedia and sound artist who has exhibited nationally and internationally since 2002. Carlos Wedde is a comic artist and sculptor who has worked extensively in a set design and production capacity with theatre companies and has been exhibiting nationally since 1999.

Presented alongside James R Ford Snake Pis and Polly Stanton Hallway.