2013

Forged steel, natural oxide patina

9'H x 9”W x 9”L

Totemic Antenna is part of an ongoing series, forged by selective hydraulic deformation of square tubing. I am exploring the theme of using natural forces to stress engineered materials to the point of failure, exposing the harmonious forms that result from the destructive process. These playful forms are place markers, creating an intriguing point of interest. Totemic Antenna contains many different faces, likenesses of people and animals. In this way, I imbue a semblance of life in the medium that contrasts with its cold rigidity. The patina from metal rusts and turns golden and brown. I leave this natural state of the metal so as to communicate the ever changing, ever evolving nature of the elemental world. This work is intended to be a thought-provoking reflection on transformation. The materials of the constructed world appear inert and still within a short span of observation. The work depicts the responses in the material to adverse forces of immense proportions. The reluctance to conform is clearly visible in the graceful topology of the form in steel.