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click here to play video of sculpture
| Dignity, 2010 |
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| travertine and concrete, 28 inches |
I am currently exploring the
visual role of aggregate in my work. The aggregate is the material that provides structure and gives concrete its strength
but it is generally hidden, submerged in the concrete and only revealed if the concrete surface erodes. In
a recent trip Denizli Turkey, I began carving travertine stone. I like the texture, the porous appearance and the unpredictable
nature of the hollow areas of this sedimentary stone. Using the original concrete casting of "Dignity" as
my model, I extended the foundation of the piece with carved travertine and used the stone waste from my carving as aggregate
for the concrete portion of the composition. With the influence of the decorative mosaic elements of Turkish architecture
and the assistance of travertine stone native to Denizli Turkey, I exposed fragments of the stone aggregate in the torso to
unify the otherwise separate sections.
The travertine and concrete image of "Dignity"
will be on display at the Pamukkale University Art Colony Exhibition in October 2010 and will remain part of the University's
permanent collection.
| Dignity, 2009 |
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| concrete, 15", original concrete image |
The original concrete image of "Dignity"
is available at the Rosenfeld Gallery in Philadelphia, PA.
DIGNITY was inspired
by a displaced Greek column I photographed while visiting the Parthenon during its reconstruction. The
column has a precarious presentation; it is stable, but not forever. I understand reconstruction is what
made this Greek column accessible to me but I also know that further reconstruction will alter its appearance and it will
not be the same. While I understand the many reasons that necessitate the reconstruction, I have mixed
emotions about the alteration or relocation of any art and architecture especially that of antiquity. I
question if we are taking away or giving back its dignity. I have the same reaction when deceased
people are removed from their sacred sites and put on display in museums as is the case with the sacrificed Inca children
and Egyptian mummies. By putting them on display, we treating them like an object, as if they were some sort of Greek column that
must be preserved for our viewing. Again, the question of dignity presents.
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