In his newest series of works, Time in Blue, the Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima has composed the most succinct expression yet of the conjunction of interests that have fascinated and motivated him throughout his career.

Electronic counters, made from blue LEDs (a recent technological development) are mounted on black boards. Their random positions reflect the principles of Chaos Theory. The counters chart cyclical passages of time, from 1 to 9 and back to 1, each counting at a different rate. The works are in constant flux, the relation between their elements perpetually changing. In this the works embody Miyajima's tripartite maxim: keep changing; connect with everything; continue forever.

Miyajima's exploration of the complex, non-linear nature of time has dominated his work of the last ten years.When his digital counters first became mobile in the installation Running Time, his interest began to focus more specifically on random patterns and Chaos Theory - the tension formed by the inevitable presence of unpredictable elements within every repetitive pattern. In Time in Blue this interest comes to the fore, and combines with a uniformity of compositional elements and structure to create a powerful marriage of form and chaos.

Miyajima's own Buddhist philosophy sees the universal and infinite within the individual and finite. His work suggests a parallel between this cosmic view and the scientific conception of the relation between sub-atomic and macrocosmic physics which proved central to the development of Chaos Theory. From the work's ability to suggest the universal in the specific it derives a powerful metaphysical force.

Miyajima's international status has grown dramatically since his last show at the gallery in 1995. His current one-man exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Big Time, will come to the Hayward Gallery in London from 19 June to 17 August 1997.