Dust, our smallest common denominator

                                                                                                                                                                 Charlotta Lindvall

ABSTRACT  

I find it fascinating to know that we are all made of the same material as the stars and that everything is connected to each other and in a constant movement and transformation, a recycle of material. We are all made of stardust. In fact all life is sprung out of dust.

In my essay I investigate the dust and ask the question if there are any traces in the dust. I look at the history of the dust and how it has affected us and our world through the decades. What does this small and airy but oh so unappreciated dust tell us? Why do we want to get rid of it? Is it possible to find a sense of belonging in the big context by investigating the dust and its origin and could I transform such a low material as dust into something magic that makes people reflect on our origin and belonging and how everything is connected? In my work I use dust as a material and in the essay I compare my work with other artists who have worked with dust as a material.

Dust is everywhere because its source is from everything. I as a crafter also contribute to the dust making when I mechanically process material. We all share the atmosphere and breathe the same air and by that means we all share the dust particles. With every breath we take we inhale 1000 of dust particles and without knowing it the wind could have brought invisible camelhair from the Sahara desert that you just know have inhaled into your system. The most fascinating is that under your bed you can find traces of particles that have come all the way from outer space. In fact, each year it rains down 100 tons of cosmic dust from outer space down to our planet, particles that come from asteroids or comets and could contain hundred thousand of smaller particles of diamonds and sapphires that might come from a time when our planet was formed.

I found that through the dust you can read the whole history of the universe. It holds the information of what has happened, what happened right now and what will happen. The dust reveals all our secrets; it holds the past and present at the same time. The dust is on its way to become and at the same time on its way from being.  In the dust you can find traces of me, you and the universe. By investigating the dust I have found a new view of the world. I have found a sense of belonging in the big context, where everything is connected and part of the same origin. Even in the darkest corner you can find magic.

We are all diamonds fallen from the sky.