Robert Owen
Double vision no. 2
2003
Robert Owen’s Double vision #2 is devised from a dodecahedron – an object with twelve sides each of which is shaped according to the five-sided geometry of a pentagon. Both numbers twelve and five hold symbolic significance: the pentagon is emblematic of humanity, as embodied in Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man; the number twelve symbolises cosmic order, the Christian calendar and the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ.
By transforming the three-dimensional pentagons into a geometric structure, the form alters according to the viewer’s perspective. Owen emphasises the contradictions and possibilities in differing perspectives, and the transience of light and shadow and their effect on perceptions of space.
The positioning of the work on a wall reflects a playful convergence of Owen’s two principal mediums – minimalist sculpture and geometric abstract painting.