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Julie Merriman’s practise is centred in the history and meaning of visual marks, in the lexis used to visually describe structure, place, concept and theory. Working from archival material she researches histories, and through conversational exchange, explores the conventions of various drawing languages.
Her investigations are positioned in the historic and contemporary aspects of areas such as architecture, engineering, science, cartography and mathematics, and in how drawing works in these contexts as a technology to impart specific information. Merriman is interested in the methodologies and conventions of these various professions, and in how drawing becomes a vital way of making all manner of information visible within these constructs.
The work takes time. It is built line upon line, often fading back but never erased completely, solutions are found for all marks made whether deliberate or indiscriminate. There is a tentative connection between her process and that of photogenic drawing. The images she makes are often reflected through one medium onto another. Process is central to Merriman’s work which in turn is an open-ended enquiry. She draws through materials such as carbon paper and typewriter ribbon, setting-up an indexical association which supports the conceptual framework.
However the focus of her work is on the production of research, it is sited where there is an unfolding of unexpected information, and her concentration is on the effect these drawings might impart, and in what changes are perceived when the functionality of these visual languages are interrupted, and in the potentials of new readings to emerge.
Julie Merriman, Examples in engineering drawing I, 2012, carbon on paper and translucent paper, 70 x 100cm. Image courtesy of the artist.