A soft spiral unfurling and an eyeful of aster, 2022, inkjet fine art archival print on Canson Rag Photographique, 46.5 x 39.5 $600 (image/sheet) / 49.0 x 42.0 cm $800 (framed). © Jessye Wdowin-McGregor Offered for sale.

A spiral like form has been found in Mezine, Ukraine,
as part of a decorative object dated to 10,000 BCE.
...

The spiral and triple spiral motif is a Neolithic symbol
in Europe
(Megalithic Temples of Malta).

The Celtic symbol the triple spiral is in fact a pre-Celtic symbol.
It is carved into the rock of a stone lozenge
near the main entrance of the prehistoric Newgrange monument
in County Meath, Ireland.

Newgrange was built around 3200 BCE
predating the Celts and the triple
spirals were carved at least 2,500 years
before the Celts reached Ireland
but has long since been incorporated into Celtic culture.

The triskelion symbol, consisting of three interlocked spirals
or three bent human legs, appears in many early cultures,
including Mycenaean vessels, on coinage in Lycia,
on staters of Pamphylia (at Aspendos, 370-333 BC) and Pisidia,
as well as on the heraldic emblem
on warriors’ shields depicted on Greek pottery.

Spirals can be found throughout pre-Columbian art
in Latin and Central America.
The more than 1,400 petroglyphs (rock engravings)
in Las Plazuelas, Guanajuato Mexico,
dating 750-1200 AD, predominantly depict spirals,
dot figures and scale models.
In Colombia monkeys, frog and lizard like figures depicted in petroglyphs

or as gold offering figures frequently includes spirals,
for example on the palms of hands.
In Lower Central America spirals
along with circles, wavy lines, crosses and points
are universal petroglyphs characters.
Spirals can also be found among the Nazca Lines
in the coastal desert of Peru, dating from 200 BC to 500 AD.
The geoglyphs number in the thousands

and depict animals, plants and geometric motifs, including spirals.
Spiral shapes, including the swastika, triskele, etc.,
have often been interpreted as solar symbols.
Roof tiles dating back to the Tang Dynasty
with this symbol have been found
west of the ancient city of Chang’an
(modern-day Xi’an).
‘And spiral shapes have also been found
in the artwork of an Australian artist
by the name of Jessye McGregor, originally, and partly, from Ukraine’

— Ouyang Yu, ‘The Spiral Unfurled’, 2023

A found poem written in response to Jessye’s artwork, A soft spiral unfurling and an eyeful of aster, 2022 based on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral except for the title and the last three lines as the poet wrote them.

A note from the poet:—

Instead of simply writing about the spiral for the sake of writing it, I wanted to explore the found aspect of it as the eye that is concealed by the flower or that has found the flower in it. Surprisingly, I found, through 'founding' the poem, connections to China and to Ukraine.

— Ouyang Yu, 2023

Note:—Please visit the exhibition space to read the poem in our book on display. The poems can also be read on a desktop computer or in person here online. However, they should be read on a desktop computer or in-person to ensure the correct layout. A mobile phone is only recommended for reading the additional content.