Chance and Serendipity: Locating the Sublime

Abstract

This exegesis examines the differences between chance and serendipity in contemporary art, with particular reference to the sublime. I use two major qualitative research strategies to clarify these differences: (1) Fine and Deegan’s (1996) methodology which emphasises the importance of serendipity in research and; (2) case studies with the artists Jackson Pollock and Rebecca Horn, analysed in light of several authors such as Kant and Burke. Data on these themes of chance, serendipity and the sublime has not only been collected from books, archives, published reports, reviews and interviews, but also from studio investigations deriving from on-site engagements with a location known as Gorman’s Gap near Toowoomba in Southern Queensland, Australia. This studio work entitled Located Dialogues is contextualised through analyses of Pollock and Horn. I make the claim that Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings are better understood through theories of serendipity rather than chance. In addition, Pollock’s drip paintings are analysed alongside the seemingly disparate mechanical drawings of Rebecca Horn in order to demonstrate their alignment with the idea of the dynamic sublime. Throughout this research it has been my close association to these artists and certain aspects of their work that has directed my line of enquiry and informed my art practice. This study creates a methodology suitable for further research into the serendipitous in art practice.