Material: three hollow blocks of poured concrete
Dimensions: 6′ x 2′ x 2′
This sculpture is an attempt to objectify natural processes through the mathematical interpretation of designs in nature. The relief seen in this sculpture is a structure created on the computer from mathematical formulas.
Physically, it is three hollow cement cubes stacked three high. It weighs about 900 pounds total. Cast into the cubes, is a relief sculpture of a tree.
For me personally, the branching structure of the tree is a metaphor for life, all life. From a single element, two emerge. From those two, four more take form, then eight, then sixteen, etc.
Mythologists see it as the tree of life. Artists see it as the mystery of nature unfolding. Scientists see it as binary mathematics, from which computers came into existence. Biologists talk about the splitting of embryos. Relatives trace their family tree. The Internet is a tree. The human brain is a tree. In my mind, the tree is the only symbol universally accepted as spiritual, and, at the same time, non-denominational.
There is another spiritual aspect of this artwork. From a distance, the tree is not apparent. All you see is a square column—an obelisk—another universal symbol of spirituality. The uncovering of the obelisk in the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” is an unforgettable spiritual experience, also, non-denominational.
When I created this piece, I was not trying to make a specific tree. I wanted the bare essence of tree. It has no leaves. No branches overlap. It is just a tree. Its simplicity allows the viewer to bring to the sculpture their own meaning and spiritual experience.