INTERCONNECTED: the Sky Serenades, the Earth Dances
A site-specific installation for the exhibition Where Earth Becomes Aether at Wönzimer Gallery in DTLA. The work features an original painted mural background that displays the cloud assemblages works above and a dancing leaf mandala installation below.
INTERCONNECTED took into mind the unique architectural features of the gallery space for its creation, as well as the title and theme of the exhibition Where Earth Becomes Aether. I painted two hemispheres in blue and brown shades representing the Sky and Earth and gave them a similar spacial volume as the angular wood beam roof structure directly above it, thereby harmonizing with the space and creating an impactful thematic backdrop for the entire exhibition. The bookshelf is part of the gallery wall that serves as a door leading into the back office and reception space. It cuts into the Earth portion of the mural, representing human intervention on the landscape (books symbolizing the advancement of human culture and the rectangular shape jutting upward evocative of skyscrapers).
The brown earthy tones of the bottom half contain one of my dancing leaf mandalas, based upon the Celtic Knot, a symbol for infinity. I adapted the traditional shape to resonate with the angular wood beams of the roof above, the curvy round shapes representing the divine feminine of Mother Earth. The central altar of the piece incorporates some rusty barbed wire with gilded elements, rocks, and leaves gathered from the area, representing the power of transformation.
The blue upper half of the installation provided a backdrop to premiere a new series of works, the Cloud Assemblages. They are made from cut wood (once more in hemispheres) and assembled together with various found objects, bones, recycled and reclaimed items, and detritus. See more information about them in a dedicated page to that series, here.