Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Sticks and Leaves, Deeply Perceives

It was the third try.

Nothing but sticks and leaves. And time.

In an Andy Goldsworthy inspired moment, the large sticks finally held and a portable center came together. Next the U and Y shaped branches to round corners. Progressively smaller sticks and finally brittle leaves.

Someone said 'nice wreath' and I guess it was.



But then the after-the-fact connections to wattle fencing and patterans were also possibilities. Sticks and nothing but sticks to segment space. Start with the larger sticks then use the smaller sticks. The first two tries showed the folly of adding larger sticks later. An unstable freestanding figure. Shifting tensions, and a sudden pile. Also puncture the leaves first with a smaller stick then thread them through a larger stick to be woven into the larger structure. Otherwise the leaves ripe.

Fine it's imitation but I never got quite so much out of imitating Warhol or Neckface. Pay attention to the flex in the stick, focus on the weak areas, carefully reinforce and compare sticks from different trees. It's temporary but so is everything.

I left it on a redwood stump.