Ascent, 2011
Reclaimed kitchen doors (oak), reclaimed table legs (rubber-wood), found specimens trays (pine), reclaimed birch, walnut, brass, wenge. 49 x 33 x 24 inches. This piece conveys my personal commentary on unity, division, fragmentation, and ascents. It was designed with the ark of the covenant in mind and with strong references to the songs of ascent and mystical interpretations to the nature of the deity.
Most of my pieces are made with versatility in mind. They can be easily assembled and disassembled. A knockdown four-legged base for example, can be mounted by a case of drawers and constitute a chest of drawers on a stand; the base, if bridged over by a plate of wood, becomes a table.
Sculptors and furniture makers craft objects of volume. They occupy precious space both in storage and in transit. If one manages to make knockdown pieces, he or she will potentially make shipping and storing less stressful. But this is the minor reason why I like to make knockdown pieces. The major reason is that I love to design and work with joints that can be seen, understood, felt and handled. I am intrigued by articulated objects, so it is just natural that I will give them prominence in my pieces. |
This piece is a made form objects found on the streets of Cambridge and in the firewood/recycling bin of my mentors’ shop in Medford MA. The carcass is constructed form abandoned kitchen cabinet’s doors; the drawers are old specimen trays from the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Harvard; the stock for the drawer fronts were trashed by the Cambridge Rockler store. The legs were found on the street, then re-turned on the lathe later to be hand carved to convey my personal commentary on unity, devision, fragmentation and ascents. The case of drawers can house tools, flat files or other collectibles. In order to carry the case, four wings and two handles are to be installed in dedicated sockets and, much like the Cherubs in David’s Song of Praise: “He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.” Samuel II, 22:11, here too the wings facilitate the lift.
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