A single cut collage using images from an encyclopedia.

The four ancient elements of, Earth, Air, Fire and Water are set alongside the modern symbols of chemical elements.

I created a loose, drifting geometric pattern to show how human understanding of the world around us is not static. Concepts and perceptions develop overtime and build on previous knowledge.

Empedocles (490 – c. 430 BC) established four ultimate elements which make all the structures in the world—fire, air, water, earth. The idea was developed by Aristotle and taken on through the Renaissance and towards modern science. Although we now have a much greater understanding of atomic structure and chemicals, some scientists see a parallel between the classical elements and the four states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma.