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The Memory of Water

Cast bronze figurative sculpture, life size
Head detail
Hovering two feet off the ground, The Memory of Water suggests a figure floating above water. It references memorial, but unlike a traditional monument it is horizontal rather than upright and overpowering, not on a pedestal but approachable and intimate, challenging the concept of heroism.
Installation View
The Memory of Water was first exhibited in a room sized sculptural installation (From the Lost Lands) spot lit and surrounded by four large pools: bronze, iron, wax and paper. The entire floor is sand. The viewer sees their own and others’ footprints as they walk through the installation.
The sculpture, on a sand floor, centered and surrounded by pools. The iron pool is visible in the background.

Sand marks the steps of a person’s journey.
Water changes the shape of everything it touches, revealing the cumulative effect of small movements over time.
Detail of the iron pool, built with tree roots and branches cast in iron, with water running through them.
I contradict the heaviness of iron with lyric delicacy—the dancelike movement of the gesture I see in the branch, the intricate texture of the massive root.
Other Views
Winter
In the garden
Views during the bronze casting process
Metal casting is a time intensive process. Simply put, the piece is sculpted in wax, then firmly encased within a resin bonded sand mold. The wax is melted out and molten metal is poured into the mold, then cooled and broken open. The finishing process includes welding sections, smoothing seams, grinding and polishing the surface and applying patina.
The finished clay sculpture, cut into sections, ready to make plaster molds capable of holding melted wax.
The clay sculpture recreated in wax, during the process of refining and preparing for sand molding.
In the foundry, molten bronze is poured from the crucible into the sand molds.
The torso, just after breaking open the sand molds. On the left, an arm section.
One of the hands, removed from its sand mold after cooling.
The final result, after welding, grinding, polishing, and patina.