The index as a disruptive presence

Abstract

In this thesis I explore the disruptive potential of indexical signs in visual arts. This exploration is underpinned by a stance that considers how and whether the index can resist intelligibility and short-circuiting representation. My thesis understands disruption as a difficulty in correlating a sign with a clear meaning. A problem that arises when examining the index’s unsettling potential is the existence of contradictory theories about indexicality. Most common theorisations on indexical art are grounded on Peirce’s theory of signs and assume that disruption lies on the physical relationship between the index and a referent that resists symbolisation. In contrast, other theoretical approaches consider the index a deceiving sign, a quality that can be used with disruptive aims by promising a sense of origin and authenticity that is unfulfilled. I argue that there is a need to clarify where lies the capacity for producing disruptive effects in indexical art. I contend that the artist can have an active and critical role in manipulating representational methods with disruptive effects by transgressing conventions. By adopting a practice-led research framework I explore indexicality through creative and written means. My theoretical engagements and artistic experiments inform each other and in combination illuminate the capacity of the index for producing disruption. As a visual artist, engaging with diverse indexical techniques enabled me to understand that these methods need to be carefully manipulated with disruptive aims in order to produce artworks with enigmatic qualities. Through the development of three different art projects together with my analysis of various theories and art practices, I examine the role of the index’s physical presence within representation. To understand the particular function of materiality in indexical art, I draw on Peirce’s semiotics, indexical art theories, and the examination of my engagement with indexical techniques such as rubbing and casting. My analysis comprises examining whether the index’s physical presence can be connected with a sense of disruption. This involves an examination of how and whether artists can enact an agentic role in the production of disruptive outcomes through indexical art. The aim of this thesis is to discuss and problematise the role of the index’s physical presence in producing disruption in visual arts.