Carol Levine

I have always had a fundamental interest in the nature of time and the philosophical idea of becoming, a process which implies a dynamic entity, inclusive of both past and present states, and harbingers of future ones.

My most recent works, the ongoing Emergence series, take inspiration from biological forms and the interconnectedness of all life and reflect my continued exploration of the process of becoming our intimate connections with other life on our planet.

And while symmetry is fundamental to the universe, physicists agree that the universe’s asymmetries are essential for the existence of stars and even life itself.

This quote from the poet, John O’Donohue, “I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding,” resonates with me as these works result from a nonverbal and largely subconscious process. As in life, unexpected and surprising juxtapositions occur. It is my hope that each drawing, like music, offers a window into a place where the personal and transcendent meet.

My earlier work was influenced by my experience as a dancer. Dance occurs in linear time, and my frustration was that, other than in memory, I was unable to see the relationships among movements separated by time.

I began to develop my own form of dance notation and created multiple series of drawings (Notation, Petit Divertissement, Divertissement and Dance of Life) that are in essence, visual choreography. My dancers are shapes; each move is recorded. As the title of the series, Dance of Life, implies, my thinking broadened to include a consideration of the many relationships among aspects of our lives.