The States of Matter series engages with the fundamental physical categories—solid, liquid, gas, and plasma—that define the material world. These distinct phases are typically understood as stable classifications, each governed by predictable properties and behaviors. Jonathan Prince’s work, however, interrogates the boundaries that shape our perceptions of materiality, questioning both the physical and conceptual frameworks through which we understand matter.
In this series, Prince explores moments of transition and ambiguity, where one state seems to dissolve into another and conventional expectations are unsettled. By challenging the viewer’s assumptions about how materials should behave, States of Matter opens a space for reconsidering the fluidity and instability that underlie even the most familiar substances. The series functions simultaneously as a material investigation and a philosophical provocation, inviting reflection on the limits of perception and the mutable nature of the physical world.
In this series, Prince explores moments of transition and ambiguity, where one state seems to dissolve into another and conventional expectations are unsettled. By challenging the viewer’s assumptions about how materials should behave, States of Matter opens a space for reconsidering the fluidity and instability that underlie even the most familiar substances. The series functions simultaneously as a material investigation and a philosophical provocation, inviting reflection on the limits of perception and the mutable nature of the physical world.
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BalanceSouth African Granite / Stainless Steel58 x 9 x 9 in. ( 147.3 x 22.9 x 22.9 cm)Series: States of Matter
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EmergenceSwedish Black Granite44 x 26 x 30 in. ( 111.8 x 66 x 76.2 cm)Series: States of Matter
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FulcrumCambrian Granite14 x 29 x 26 in ( 35.6 x 73.7 x 66 cm)Series: States of Matter
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GravitySouth African Granite / CorTen Steel130 x 22 x 9 in (330.2 x 55.9 x 22.9 cm)Series: States of Matter
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Indra's NetChester Granite12 x 12 x 12 in ( 30.5 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm)Series: States of Matter
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Life FormIndian Granite6 x 25 x 15 in ( 15.2 x 63.5 x 38.1 cm)Series: States of Matter
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NeolithCambrian Granite13.5 x 23 x 4 in. ( 34.3 x 58.4 x 10.2 cm)Series: States of Matter
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Planetary BodyZimbabwe Granite / Silver Leaf72 x 72 x 8 in. (182.9 x 182.9 x 20.3 cm)Series: States of Matter
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RedZimbabwe Granite66 x 64 x 16 in. ( 167.6 x 162.6 x 40.6 cm)Series: States of Matter
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Twisted CeltSouth African Granite9 x 18 x 9 in (22.9 x 45.7 x 22.9 cm)Series: States of Matter
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WaterfallChester Granite15 x 14 x 14 in ( 38 x 35.6 x 35.6 cm)Series: States of Matter