| Sculpture Information | |
|---|---|
| Completion | 2020 |
| Exhibition | Not yet exhibited |
| Dimensions | 200 cm (H) × 170 cm (W) |
| Materials | Laser-cut aluminium, hand-poured aluminium, burnt Spotted Gum (shou sugi ban) |
| Status | Available for exhibition (artist's collection) |
I made States of Anguish in 2020 after the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires destroyed Sandberg. This is Sandberg, flattened. The same geometry collapsed from three dimensions to two.
Form and materials
The sculpture is wall-mounted, 200 cm tall and 170 cm wide. The base is Spotted Gum hardwood, burnt using shou sugi ban technique. That charring creates a deep black surface and a protective carbon layer.
The exact centre point of the work corresponds to the apex of Sandberg. The aluminium triangles represent Sandberg's 81 glass facets, now laid flat. The hand-poured aluminium spills fill the negative space between them, representing what the fire made when it melted the original.
The facets remain. What held them together has melted away.
What viewers see
The contrast is immediate. Geometric precision at the centre dissolving into organic chaos toward the edges. White and silver metal against black charred wood.
Creatures appear in the flowing aluminium. Wallabies. Birds. Snakes. Lizards. Insects. Plants. They emerged while I worked, unbidden. From the centre outward, they seem to flee the flames.
The creatures weren't planned. They appeared in the poured metal and I let them stay.
Duality
This work embodies the duality that runs through my practice. 3D and 2D. Solid and liquid. Vertical and horizontal. Geometric and organic. Built and destroyed.
Sandberg stood three metres tall on a beach. This work hangs flat on a wall. Both are the same geometry. Both are Sandberg.
Context
The 2019-2020 fires killed an estimated three billion animals across Australia. The creatures in this work represent that broader devastation.
I read about Thomas Edison. When his factory burned down, he called people over to watch. He started again. That gave me the frame to process the loss. But the geometric connection gave me the form.
Current status
Artist's collection, Brisbane. Exhibition-ready.
