Unrefined Infomation

Unrefined Information is an ongoing line drawing; its purpose is to satisfy my need for detail during my time at university. As a non-neurotypical adult, the way I process information is different and I find it challenging to ignore insignificant topics. Resultantly, that excess of knowledge can be obstructive. I have produced a visual document of unrefined data by channelling raw information into an abstract hyper-detailed line drawing. Past marks direct the direction of the illustration in the future, demonstrating the flow of uncensored consciousness.

Left hand side of illustration from Unrefined Information (approx 1 meter squared):

Right hand side of illustration from Unrefined Information (approx 1 meter squared):

Close up:

Over time, I found balancing the workload of university and personal projects increasingly difficult; in particular I found the necessary weighting of my time towards my university projects over my independent ones draining, and frustrating. This tension was upsetting and induced a substantial amount of stress in me that needed to be managed in a healthy, sustainable way so that I could keep excelling in the development of my work.

Hyper-detailed repetitive actions have long been a coping mechanism I developed to effectively deal with the stressors in my life. By completing a repetitive focused activity, I ground myself and process the social and dynamic information that I find overwhelming.

Pen and paper are an easily accessible resource and medium. As such, penned line work became the basis of my therapeutic activity, allowing me to produce a complex drawing in almost any place of my choosing with relative ease. As a teenager, I would draw under my workbooks, creating detailed visual games, ‘Find the whale’ was popular. Individuals must look for a whale amongst a background of animated doodles. Making the drawing interactive made practising conversation easier, another aspect of daily life that I struggled with due to my atypical neurology.

While at university, I also discovered that working on a large scale appealed to me the most because it allowed my marks freely wonder and my consciousness to roam over the page without worrying about finding the edge too soon. Unrefined Information is one such on-going large scale piece on a 10m x 2m roll of paper. I will gradually add to the line drawing, hoping to have covered 3m by June 2022. I want to frame the work once completed and donate it to an autism-related charity, as it demonstrates the gift of focus people like me have and the value of our unique outlook in society.

A6 Find the Whale 2015:

During college, I learned about abstraction and resultantly, my illustrations became more geometric.

A4 The fight 2018: