Some of the folds research

"A geological fold occurs when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of permanent deformation. Synsedimentary folds are those due to slumping of sedimentary material before it is lithified."

Here

• It strikes me that if I deform polythene by hand (pressing, pushing) it could take the same form of a geological fold.

My thinking is probably due to have visited Lulworth Cove this year which is famous for the very visible folds in the rock strata, particularly in the Lulworth Crumple. I've just realised that since then I've been painting loops on polythene, so this could be an idea of a shape that has filtered through without me realising. I like shapes and repeating patterns that are common-place within human experience and the loop, along with the cross, circle, square is one of those shapes.

 Lulworth Crumple

I mean, it's a bit far-fetched now I look at the photos together. There is a similar line but none of the pressure or force, or time. How could such a weightless, massless material be considered under the same terms? It lacks that sense of unreal squishyness within such a hard material. I think this could be because I'm expecting something I created as surface also stand as something that is mass. To do that I think, as I've said before, that it needs to touch the ground. And do more than touch, it needs to take over the ground. I do think everything I've done over the last few days has been to highlight painted polythene's masslessness. The paint's separation from the surface is wafer-thin, it has no form and is totally reliant on a support that is foreign to its own body as support. This isn't a ying-yang relationship as the polythene holds no element of support within its own body, it requires that to come from another body - to whom in return it will provide decoration/meaning - although there is always the option for it to take up residence directly on the floor, it is very vulnerable there.

So here are some relationships between painted surface and support I have created over the last few days.

The closest I've come to a crumple so far.