Cycles Sculptures
Cycles is a series of monumental outdoor metal sculptures, each one exploring a different theme. Each Cycles piece in the series is made up of three patterned disks which intersect and interlock to form a spherical sculpture.
Cycles Maquettes
In addition to the larger Cycles sculpture pieces (24", 48" & 96" diameter), I'm making a small, more accessible size - 12" diameter. This size allows me to explore new designs, materials and finishes, like corten with gunmetal-black oiled or rust patina, anodized & colored aluminum, and bronze, both patinaed and lacquer clear coated.
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Cycles 1: Religion; 2017; dimensions vary; patinated mild steel. Edition of 3
Cycles 1: Religion represents three different religions, the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The disks hold each other in suspension, in a way that reminds me of how the three religions have reached an impasse but potentially can exist in harmony. These three traditions have more in common than would first meet the eye. When they aren’t arguing over semantics, all three religions have served their adherents with a set of beliefs that have contributed to the development of civilization as a whole.
In this sphere, Christianity is represented by a rose window of the Notre Dame cathedral; Judaism is represented by the Kabbalah tree of life; Islam is represented by geometric calligraphy that is often found on the cover of the Quran. |
This video is a walk-around of Cycles 1 maquette |
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Cycles 2: Science; 2018; dimensions vary; patinated corten steel. Edition of 3.
Cycles 2: Science represents three epochs in the history of science.
The first disk shows a Spira Mirabilis (marvelous spiral), a logarithmic spiral whose ratio (1:1.618) is not only used as a grounding principal in architecture, but is also found extensively in nature: from the spirals of the Milky Way to the chambers of a nautilus shell. I see this as man’s nascent understanding of natural laws. The second disk is a abstraction of a Dodecahedron, also known as a platonic solid. Plato used the platonic solids to represent the five elements, which described the nature and complexity of all matter. I see this as the beginning of formal classification and the scientific method. The third disk is an ancient navigational tool, the Astrolabe. In antiquity, “reading” the stars and their fixed, known locations was the only way to circumnavigate the globe. This is a complex tool developed from known natural laws of science. |
Cycles 2: Science WGA; 2019; Wood, Glass, Aluminum, vinyl, varnish; 48"x48"x48". Unique.
Cycles 2: Science WGA is made of three materials that represent the ages of science and discovery.
The WOOD spira mirabilis is the most primitive material and represents our earliest understanding of the natural, or cosmic law. The GLASS dodecahedron, is a slightly more complex material involving heat, and represents the earliest development of the scientific method. The ALUMINUM astrolabe is most complex material and represents our use of tools to harness natural law. |
Cycles 3: Extiction; 2019; dimensions vary; patinated corten steel. Edition of 5.
In Cycles 3: Extinction Each disk is waterjet cut into silhouettes of frogs, bees and birds in a mandala of icons. Birds, bees and frogs are among the “indicator species”, and they are all currently in rapid decline due to man-made environmental factors, including climate change. An indicator species reflects the relative health of its environment, so they are literally the canary in the coal mine regarding actions taken by humans and the threat to our own species. This loss of biodiversity is a clarion call to unified action.
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Cycles 4: Geometry, dimensions vary, aluminum. Edition of 5.
"Cycles 4: Geometry" is fabricated of either corten steel, bronze, or aluminum, and the three disks represent different mathematical concepts, expressed as geometry.
The first disk represents sacred geometry, Metatron's Cube, and the complexity of all elements: it contains the mystery of the 5 platonic solids within it. The second disk represents a computer complete network, where each node is in direct connection to every other node. The third disk represents the Apollonian Gasket, named for Apollonius of Perga, a geometer from the 3rd c BC. He was the first person to describe the conditions for tangential circles, which presaged the fractal theory by 2 millenia. |
Cycles 7: Indicator
Cycles 7 is a metal sculpture comprised of three round disks waterjet cut into silhouettes of frogs, butterflies, dragonflies, mayflies, fish, bees and birds in a mandala of icons. All of these species are considered “indicator species”, and they are all currently in rapid decline due to man-made environmental factors, including climate change. An indicator species reflects the relative health of its environment, so they are literally the canary in the coal mine regarding actions taken by humans and the threat to our own species. This loss of biodiversity is a clarion call to unified action.
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Cycles 2: White Hat, work in progress, 48"x120", wood, glass, aluminum, Formica, vinyl, oil paint. Unique.
“Cycles 2: White Hat” (C2:WH) is a three dimensional wall-mounted piece examines the key inflection points and pivotal voices in computer science.
C2WH is 48” high by 120” long by 6” deep, and is fabricated from wood, glass and steel. It appears as an asymmetrical triptych, three adjoining panels with the three thematic elements successively overlapping and in relief. The three panels are inlaid and feature several separate layers of handwritten text and formulas. The intent of these layers are to ground the piece and add structural elements the are inscrutable to the layperson, but recognizable to the trained scientist, and include references to Allen Turing, cryptography, and the finite state theorem, all cornerstones of computer science. |