Time for another of my local sculptures now, this one, called "Original Form" was carved by Salisbury resident Keith Rand (an ex-cartographic surveyor, turned artist) in 1999. It's set by the bank at West India Dock (in fact almost below West India DLR station) and from the sounds of things was formed from a single Douglas Fir tree (obtained through the forestry commission), which is incredible, because even from fairly nearby (in fact, until you get very close) it's almost impossible to assume it's anything other than purely rusted metal.
Knowing a little more about it, it's actully much more impressive, had I troubled myself to go over and actually make contact with the piece before just assuming what it was constructed from I would have been both suprised and extremly impressed at the efforts gone to in order to construct it (even before discovering that the artist likes to work using the same tools that violin makers favour)...in my mind, it being made from cast iron turned it into a smaller object somehow...as for the name...for those that carve, I suppose the challenge is to find the shape hidden within the object you start with, in this case, the outline and vague shape of the trunk have been retained (so I conclude that we were supposed to *know* what it was made from (whoops!)), then, if you look at the openings the artist has created, (I, anyway) seem to feel a resemblance to burst seed pods, so perhaps a hint at the circular form of nature? Maybe I'm reading too much into it... ;)
It's a lovely thing anyway, just a shame it's a bit hidden away where it has been situated...
1 comment:
I can see what you mean. I thought it was a chunk of scrap metal and thought 'Big deal' but from what you said, it changes your perception of it to a work of art. Always admired people who work with wood, it's a labour of love to them. The really good ones are totally Zen like Michelangelo was with marble.
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