Ibghy & Lemmens

Each Number Equals One Inhalation and One Exhalation is a series of small sculptures that materialize graphical representations concerning human productivity from the mid-nineteenth century to the present in a wide range of disciplines, including work science, scientific management, economics and psychology.

In the diagrams, labour is analysed and broken down into units, while new methods for the management of time, communication and workflows are sketched. Some of the diagrams characterize early twentieth century attempts to visualize the movement of working bodies to improve factory processes while others present data concerning the impact of a number of technological, psychological and organizational factors on efficiency.

In the piece, a variety of simple techniques is employed to playfully contrast the handmade models with the authoritative dimension of the original diagrams. Through these operations, the means by which graphical representations transform complex ideas about human labour into systematised forms is explored, including the relationship that exists between the diagrammatic and mental space, which is to say, how diagrams create forms of thought.

Each Number Equals One Inhalation and One Exhalation, 2016-2017, installation including approximately 100 sculptures: wood, thread, metal, wire, ink, coloured gel and paper, dimensions variable. Installation views, Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.