Jesse Christian

(2020 - Acrylic on canvas)

Emergent Structures is a commentary on the formation of innovation ecosystems in the context of collaborative development research. The painting represents the darker, shadowy side of some research processes, wherein some benign organisations, represented by the blue entity, can be manipulated by other stakeholders, represented by the shadowy entity behind it. The disparate elements which sit within the blue entity represent the various stakeholders of the ecosystem; which appear to sit within the confines of the benign entity; however, the shadowy figure takes from the ecosystem what it wishes, whilst also bearing little of the burden for the stakeholders involved. The horns which sit atop the shadowy figure may also be seen as a blue halo, which is used by the shadow entity to signal similarity to the benign entity. The pink square represents a the key beneficiary of the innovation ecosystem, with the blue-turned-red quadrilateral representing the role of the benign figure in, ultimately, delivering the fruits of the innovation ecosystem to the beneficiary.