Spinners, 1997
 

Dimensions: 5 x 14 x 15 feet
Mixed media installation:
sage, day lilies, rhubarb seeds, dogwood,
lime grass, cattail, wire, yellow willow,
spear grass, gaillardia, palm leaves

 

Direct relationship with the natural world led me to choose materials with which I was very familiar: cattail and spear grass growing alongside the road; rhubarb, day lilies, lime grass and gaillardia seeds from the garden; sage, palm, dogwood and reeds from the river and surrounding environment; and discarded telephone wire. I was interested in the fact that they are commonplace and an immediate part of my life in winter walks and everyday engagements with my garden during the summer. I feel that the knowledge of these materials is gained through the senses , and the ephemeral and perishable nature of the materials reflects on my desire to make that process of life and death an integral part of the art. The fragile nature of the material as it is marked by time gives a physical appearance to the surfaces which activates our sense of touch and smell.

Using the nine discs, I wanted to construct a new form which embodies the shape and feel of the components, but now with its own sense of drama. It was essential that the force of life energy contained within each shape would also be expressed in the curve of the complete energy mass. The final form of the sculpture, especially with the four sets of legs, invites one to think about the discovery of the primordial insects buried in the Burgess Shale in Field, B.C.