Beauty

Why do we find some things beautiful and others ugly? Philosophers have been debating this question for thousands of years, and more recently scientists have tried to answer it by studying how people’s brains behave when they view things they classify as beautiful. Yet, we still have very little idea of what causes our sense of beauty—our aesthetic sense—or how it might be explained by brain activity.

In What Matter Feels I argue that we prefer some forms to others because of the way our perceptions are organised by certain kinds of interactions between energy and matter. This applies not only to the objects we classify as beautiful, but also to the patterns of activity that perceiving those objects produce in our nervous systems—when we perceive beauty, we become beautiful. 

The flower-like forms in this image are created using chemically volatile inks, which have a high level of ‘free energy’ relative to the marbling bath surface. This causes the inks to dissipate violently on contact. The other forms are more cell-like and cluster in patterns that orchestrate the overall design as the forces acting on all the matter in the marbling bath reach a state of equilibrium. (Original artwork: 2023, Ink and paint on paper, 60 x 60 cm.)

Posters are sold unframed. Examples of framed posters are shown here for illustration purposes at 40 x 30 cm (16 x 12 inches), 60 x 45 cm (24 x 18 inches), and 80 x 60 cm (32 x 24 inches).

Materials:

• Printed on premium archival museum-quality paper.
• The 250 gsm/ 110lb paper is perfect for fine art, designed to last for years without losing its original beauty. Our matte paper is uncoated and natural white (off-white).
• With alkaline papermaking technology, this poster is acid-free, meaning the pH of the pulp that is used to form the paper is above 7 (neutral). The paper is also buffered with an alkaline reserve, such as calcium carbonate, to neutralize acid compounds absorbed from the atmosphere or formed through natural aging. This ensures that your poster will last many years without any yellowing or discolouration.
• Our poster is free from or low in OBA (optical brightener additives). This ensures that the natural white colour of the paper remains consistent under different lighting conditions. In contrast, the colour of papers that contain optical brighteners can shift depending on the light source. Additionally, the colour of OBA-free paper remains more consistent over time so that you can enjoy the poster for years without any shifts.
• We use FSC-certified paper or equivalent certifications depending on regional availability. It’s better for the people and the planet.
• Each poster is shipped in robust packaging, ensuring it arrives safe and secure.
• Paper sizes may vary slightly by region. For the US and Canada, the measurement is in inches, while for the rest of the world, it is in centimetres.