Firstly, I arranged the screws in a rough sphere, the largest in the middle. This gives the shape the illusion of density, and I feel is expressive of a gravitational pull - it makes me think of the early stages of the formation of a planet, wherein larger masses converge, and as they grow they pull in smaller pieces.
I then neatened the edge, and pulled the larger pieces away from the centre. Whether the simile of the formation of a planet could be extended here is questionable - I feel that it has taken a step away from the larger scale.
However, with the addition of this next picture (showing that I have decreased the circumference of the outer circle, pulling the larger screws once more into the centre) I have created a sense of narrative - when displaying the pictures in sequence it becomes clear that there is some kind of process occurring.
And the final piece in the narrative brings my mind back once more to the formation of a planet, however now it is the final stage - wherein the gravitational pull has formed a roughly spherical shape enveloping the central force, larger, simpler components towards the middle, whilst the outer layers are more complex.
What is interesting about this comparison to me is how trivial the arrangement truly is - both of the screws and of the creation of planets, and how one is larger to the extent that the human mind cannot entirely comprehend it. Also I greatly love how neat it seems - the screws from a typewriter arranged in a very different way, still managing to help create a story.
I find that when I have the concept of planets and solar systems so clear in my mind when observing the screws, I stop seeing them as screws and they become symbols. I think that it is easy, when looking at photographs, to forget about scale. In order to bring reality closer, I arranged the screws around my outstretched hand.
I think that having this image afterwards does help to bring the real world closer, and then at once I realise that I don't want the real world to be closer. The symbol of the hand is yet another reminder to me that this is a pile of screws on a table, its something physical and trivial that I have done, and it's right there - temporary and practically meaningless. Whilst it may turn the story towards me, towards the human inventor or worker, I find the formation of the universe to be such a hugely magical idea that anything following seems dull.
Perhaps, if we make this the final piece of the narrative, it could be taken as a statement of the human impact on the planet - there is no sphere left, as I used the screws to make the shape. With enough human meddling, will we destroy the planet? I think it's a fair point, if a point made incredibly frequently to the extent that it's cliché.
Of course, this all rests on the assumption that when faced with the original picture, everybody thinks of the science behind the birth of planets, which seems fragile.
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