Water
Water’s my will, and my way, And the spirit runs, intermittently, In and out of the small waves,… ~ Theodore Roethke (1908–1963) “Water is life's mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” ~ Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (Hungarian Biochemist, 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine, 1893-1986
I see an opportunity to integrate elements of water into my sculptures in ways that have not been done before, in ways that integrate the characteristics and symbolism of water into the meaning of the work. My intention is to create works where the elements of water are central to the meaning of the work. In my non-objective works the question should be asked: where do the solid elements end and the water begin?
Most of the water elements I see in fountains seem almost incidental to the work rather than integrated. Traditionally, water is simply an expression of itself such as the rush of water and the Trevi Fountain in Rome, or something flowing out of a body part or the mouth of a sea monster. More recently, jets of water has been used as the sculpture itself, most famously the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas. Also, non-objective works with water cascading over forms have become popular. Many of these works are quite wonderful but they’re not my vis
ion for my body of work.
My works intend to break from approaches previously used. I seek to create a more integrated and synergistic use of solid form and a creative use of water that takes greater advantage of the universal symbolism and natural dynamics of water than has been used before. James Gabbert March 2009
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