Cartography of control 

Troika’s Light Drawings encompass multiple projects, which all rely on variations of the same mark-making process. The organic, irregular forms seen in these drawings, including ‘Cartography of Control’, are made by burning paper with an electric charge, which manifests as intricate repeat-basic patterns.

‘The organic, irregular forms of Troika’s drawings made by burning paper with an electric charge such as ‘Cartography of Control’ (2014) and ‘Path of Least Resistance’ (2014) emerge from their play with controlling processes that are, inherently, beyond control. The singed lines are burnt through paper as a current tries to overcome the material’s resistance, where the paper was saturated with water, for example. As it strives to close the circuit it follows numerous false leads as well as successful routes. How the current ‘knows’ where to go retains an element that is unforeseeable.’