C H I T T E R C H A T T E R

Aberrant nuptials - Fostering creative flows and new material configurations.

21st September 2025

Gilles Deleuze provokes intellectual stimulation to say the least. I like to illustrate his philosophies using my own artwork to “comprehend” his concepts. A contemporary example of an Aberrant Nuptial is a functional marriage - the union of fundamentally different systems; male and female that is divergent of the normal type, in contemporary days, marriage itsself is unusual and a funtional marriage, that could well be described as unusual. Deleuze describes Aberrant Nuptials as “productive encounters between systems characterised by fundamental difference”. Productions within a marriage would be children, family, home, wealth.

I seek out aberrant nuptials: lets translate that to unusual joint ventures, or awesome creative productions between differing systems at the Papillon Art Retreat. Conceptually or physically new material configurations that have developed naturally or with my deliberate interference or construction are to be gathered, drawn, itemised and presented firstly here, and hopefully in a face to face location, with a function to encourage an audience, conversation and debate.

Below is a list of words, objects, concepts. dualities that form part of the process.

  1. Manmade detritus and Nature … Paint tins, builders rubbish bags and critters

  2. Earth / Sky / Water / Fire ….. Oysters, jetties and rocks and pearls, tides and fire, sun, flotsam and jetsum, driftwood, Sailing equipment, ropes. Knots.

  3. Introduced Species & Native Species - Tee Trees tipu trees & Morning Glory,

  4. Bush Turkey, Magpies, Cockatoos, Lace Monitors, Green Tree Snakes / leaf Matter … building of a nest

    The Lyre bird imitates the machinery at the neighbours renovations. Trevor Clarke represents his ideal of the river bend in his modestly realist oil painting in the lounge room, and the butterfly plays a part in the theatre of reproduction as it fertilises the Mother of Millions plants. These Aberrent Nuptial encounters foster “EXCEPTIONAL creative flows of energy, generating NEW material configurations and INTENSIVE experiences." when closely observed or presented in an alternative situation like a white wall gallery or a black background web page.

    My aim with this Chitter Chatter is to develop a process of considering contemporary philosophy and its relationship with the visual. I consider how contemporary academic thought might be distributed visually. Accidental or scientific experiments marry the critters and the builders bags at Papillon Art Retreat for example. The introduced species of plants in the Brisbane Waters National Park at the back of the property combine with some man made detritus and create an object or a behaviour that can be presented to an audience for the purpose of epiphany. Awe or wonder., understanding or pleasure is the goal.

    This train of thought is wound around a practice of drawing every time I visit the retreat. Taking a tiny sketchbook while rehabilitating the garden, using a single black artline marker, intuition guides the selection of flora, Klee inspired the walking of the line. Of an evening study into the origin, function and benefits and liabilities of the plant are recorded.

    Some of these plants, it turns out, percieved as weeds: plants in undesirable locations, have a viable function. They include adding nutrients to arid soils, preventing erosion.

    There is more to add to this on the changing attitude government and science are having around biodiversity and biohazards. Ill reference this in my next edit on this article.

    EDIT 1. 21st July 2025.

    EDIT 2. 27th September 2025.