Indeterminacy in Language and Art

Indeterminacy, triangulation, and translation are often contributing factors to the experience and understanding of a work of art in which meaning can be multi-layered, shifting or malleable. In this thesis, I explore these concepts, both in relation to my art practice and within a historical and cultural context. In essence, these theoretical discussions describe the instantiation of a philosophical idea in a visual art practice. In this way, the thesis can be generally understood as an exploration in the area of the philosophy of language, looking to its application as an impetus for creating visual art, and as an explanatory device for visual art. There are three key philosophers whose ideas are instantiated in my art practice – W.V.O. Quine, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Donald Davidson. Quine offers the theory of radical translation, which is the translation from an unknown language to a known language, without aid or precedent. Wittgenstein offers the concept of indeterminacy of language, which asserts that multiple meanings for a singular item may be correct. Davidson offers the theory of triangulation, in which a combination of the beliefs and intentions of the artist and of the viewer, each triangulate with the work of art, to make meaning. I discuss three artists whose work has been an inspiration – Joseph Kosuth, Sarah Lucas, and Ann Hamilton. The way these artists use language, humour, and code relates to indeterminacy, reception, and obfuscation. The goal of this essay is to explore the relations between art and philosophy, as a means to develop critical reflection on the methodologies underpinning my own art practice.