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During this investigative stage I begin to add my own visual notes . These drawings range from something as literal as a visual translation of how mosquito eggs float in a raft formation on water to a hybrid interpretation of Lyme spirochetes with the tentacles of a centipede , to the pure responsiveness to research I ’ ve collected , as in “ Hot and Wet for You ,” a consideration of dengue fever .
The two-dimensional formation continues for some time within each investigation . I see the relationship of each visual translation to its predecesor as linear , orderly , and progressive because the sequence has a direct connection to my current inquiry . But should you view these visual considerations , you might not see them as sequential , for you are not carrying around all the notes , experiences , readings , and conversations that I have been exposed to during this phase . Understanding the disjunction between what I know and what you see — because you , the viewer , are missing so many particulars — I now think of my visual documentation as information that “ skips a generation .”
After reaching a logical stopping point for my inquiry and these visual notes , my process naturally moves into making an environment . Like any good recipe , the instructions call for a bit of this and a bit of that . In theater , this is the difference between being “ on book ” or “ off book .” Do you know the work well enough to bring your understanding to the production ? Are you ready to fly solo ?