Title: Diamond Oscillation

Date: 2026

Medium: Granite paving 4 x 4 m

Artist: Peter Newman

Exhibition: Path of Conjunction, 2026

From artist:

A geometric arrangement of stone squares on the grass lawn, with a fourfold rotational symmetry. The composition is within a grid structure, aligned to the architecture of Mecklenburgh Square, which frames the garden.

The work draws inspiration from the digital landscapes of the Game of Life (1971) developed by the British mathematician John Conway. This is a computer simulation of how abstract two-dimensional forms develop over time under certain conditions (or rules) and through interaction. It models a process akin to evolution in the natural world of plants and animals.

The paving also references a garden at Tofukuji Temple in Kyoto, Japan (1939) by Mirei Shigemori, where a chequerboard design creates a sense of expansion and modernity. It also provides a dynamic contrast to the organic forms in which it appears.

The installation is created specifically for the exhibition, following an article, Geometry in the Garden (2024), written while the artist lived in Bloomsbury, and is intended as a homage to the square. It recalls patterns found in the ancient game of Go, an abstract strategy game invented around three thousand years ago, and believed to be the oldest board game played continuously to the present day.

Website:

https://www.peternewman.net/

Instagram:

@peterjnewman