of Melbourne, Australia





Sculpted Visages

Room for Dreaming 183mm  x  172mm  x  219mm Hand-sculpted from Silver Ash, Walnut and Ebony. The ceiling of this symbolic 'room' is hollowed out on the inside to follow the inner contours of a face, while the outside (upper) surface shows the features of that face. The expression is composed but much alive, seemingly in the throes of REM dream sleep. The 'room' is open and airy, bounded only by shadowy pillars. The floor is stark - a clear open rectangle in polished walnut - a dance floor without dancers. Sections of the ceiling/face are cut away so that a sense of openness pervades - pieces of the sky come inside and air flows in, through and out. 'Room for Dreaming' provides a visual representation of the dream state in which the events and ambience of the ‘real’ external world drift through into the alternative consciousness of the dream, engendering a state of open flow and connection between worlds, akin to a reverie.     The form and features revealed in the 'Room for Dreaming' sculpture are intended to evoke the paradoxical sense of calm and adventure which we associate with a dreaming state in which we have the sensation of moving freely and observing vivid events wherein we visualise the promise of our own future. The encroachment of open space on the visage and the inner sanctum of the symbolic ‘room’ below it provides a flow of air into and through the inner space of the dreamer.  Symbolically, this provides a sense of the connection between the inner experience, however remote, and the everyday reality of the space in which the sculpture is located.

Harlequin Dream 235mm  x  317mm  x  48mm Hand-sculpted from Silver Ash, Blackheart Sassafras, Poplar and Australian White Beech. 'Harlequin Dream' portrays the dream state in which sounds from the ‘real’ external world intrude upon the surreal night-scape of the dream, creating a schism where the dreamer is caught between worlds. The sculpture has been worked into a laminated billet which is composed of a series of diamond shaped blocks of different timbers arranged so that they resemble a patchwork pattern or print such as one might encounter on a piece of fabric belonging to a fashion almost lost to recollection. Thus the upper surface of the sculpture carries the impression of a rectangle of cloth perhaps caught by a gust of wind and momentarily resembling the features of a wakeful dreamer.     The form and features revealed in the 'Harlequin Dream' sculpture are not intended to represent those of a real person, nor are they intended to faithfully render human anatomy.  Rather, the expression and flow of the piece seeks to capture an inner experience and to convey echoes of emotion in such a way that the viewer is drawn into the experience. To this end, the ear has been placed to the left away from the face and brought around to a plane which approaches perpendicular to the background ('listening to the room'), while the plane of the face is curvilinear and melts into the surrounding 'fabric'.

Temple Sunrise 212mm  x  314mm  x  314mm Hand-sculpted from English Lime, Silver Ash and Sassafras. A sunrise emanating from the temple of a sleeper? A temple emanating from the sunrise in a dream? Eight pillars surround a tiered octagonal floor inlaid in a motif of chequered tiles, rising two levels to a central platform. The space is open and unadorned. The pillars support a contoured ceiling which displays radiating lines of alternate pale colours - the symbolism of a sunrise. The contours of the ceiling form the features of a face in the midst of waking. The radiating lines converge at the right temple. 'Temple Sunrise' is conceived to represent the momentary blurring of consciousness which occurs as one crosses between the realms of sleep and wakefulness. It seeks to capture the sensation that the body and mind are a vessel into which the light of wakefulness dawns.     More than a vessel, our mind and body may be seen as a temple, perceived by the mind's eye. The moment of waking is when right brain functions begin their ascendancy after the phantasms and imaginings of dream sleep. This is represented here as a sunrise radiating from the right temple. As the right brain connects to the left side of the body, so the foremost ray passes over the left eye which is beginning to flicker open. The duality of the left and right, dark and light, asleep and awake are carried through in an ascending motif on the floor within the temple structure. The Temple Sunrise sculpture is a tiny monument to the vast mystery and wonder of being.   Alternative Views     (click for pop-up enlargements) Side View Top View Front View

NightWing Enterprises
ABN 22 207 533 285
www.nightwing.com.au
PO Box 20, Dallas, Victoria, Australia 3047
Ph +61 3 9016 3347  •   Fax +61 3 9309 8273  •   Mobile 0409 309 143
Email: contact@nightwing.com.au



Entry Page  •  Main Menu  •  Site Map
Spoons  •  Pipes  •  Wands  •  Masques  •  Visages  •  Vessels
Brochure  •  Articles / Reviews  •  Galleries  •  Links  •  Net Awards  •  Previous Work
What's New  •  Studio/Workshop  •  Catalogue  •  Privacy Policy  •  Guest Book  •  About the Artist  •  Make Contact