Terrasoma IX

Clay, mirror

37” x 14” x 9”

2020

Terrasoma X

Clay, mirror

30” x 13” x 10”

2020

Photo documentation by Matthew Cronin

Works created during artist residency at the NARS Foundation, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. Exhibited in Source Matters (Press Release)

Exhibition Text for Terrasoma IX and Terrasoma X in Source Matters:

Terrasoma IX and X are spiralling enclosures that protrude upwards from the floor. Their bodies are defined by a hollow clay structural skin, delineating an inside from an outside. They are born out of winding clay around and around itself, forming a single continuous vertical spiral. As the clay is wound, it is pressed on one side, integrating each new layer into the existing layer below. This repetitive process generates a smooth continuous spiral on one side, and a textured surface of thousands of finger-pressed indents on the other. 

Their massing channels distinct formal qualities of menhirs (Neolithic standing stones), human silhouettes, fingers, and tongues: flatter fronts and backs, curved sides, a rounded tip, dorsal and ventral qualities, and a vertical line of symmetry about a spine-like curve. 

As the spiral winds upwards, it stops just before closing in upon itself, leaving a hole at the top of each sculpture. This hole reveals the sculpture’s innards, inviting viewers to peer inwards. The bottom of the sculptures are mirrored, opening up to a vastness within a tight enclosure.