Stalactite
[Winter 2011]
Pullman, WA
This parking lot, beneath the Fine Art Building, is a fantastic space. In summers, it’s a cool retreat and winters, it’s protection from the snow. Large columns support huge spans, creating a cavernous space. Walking inside of it, there’s a primordial feeling of safety and protection.
This stryofoam sculpture was placed to create a sense of wonderment in this cave – a highly synthetic, plastic creation placed within a concrete sanctuary. Placed in a dark corner, it reminds me of bats roosting upside down – an element that brings the cave to life. In the place, the color and texture of the stryofoam lighten the heaviness of its concrete surroundings.
Evoked from the tradition of placing relics within nature, this styrofoam monstrosity is placed within our own constructed nature.
Originally, this sculpture was exhibited in the lobby of the Fine Arts gallery. One day as I looking down from the mezzanine, I realized that this stryofoam tree I had constructed made so much more sense viewed from above. It’s with that logic that made me seek a site to install it on.
