Alister Shapley – Unseen Detail

Unseen detail is a hand silk screen printed series by Alister Shapley, founder of asdesign., a North London design and print studio. For this series, Alister has drawn inspiration from the mathematics behind seemingly mundane architectural details.

The work responds to the unseen detail observed through our daily lives. This idea developed from observations of office ventilation diffusers and digitally printed media. The dot patterns are formed by simple mathematic equations which create seemingly complex and interesting colour effects. Using strong, simple colours the observer sees a smooth colour block from far away which very quickly reveals a pattern of dancing dots. The effect is similar to the “tick of the eye” colour tests, exploring how we see the world. The number in the corner and positioning on the page are all related by the mathematical equation. This forms the structure of the work, much as it does during the construction of man-made objects such as architectural structures, paper or ink.

The choice of screen print as a medium to represent the unseen detail comes from the physical movements and process of screen printing. Much like construction today design is created by hand first with the concept, then digitally worked up to produce and finalised impression before physically constructed by a person. This process and the architectural world is what drove the initial inspiration of the unseen detail.

Unseen detail is currently on display at Bils and Rye in Kirkybymoorside and on the People of Print department store, also home to asdesign.’s other print series.

Find Alister here: asdesignlondon.com