Metamorphic Matter
fossils and meteorites
Untitled, 2021
Wave-form fossils found in Eastern Europe from the Jurassic Period, stainless steel; Three pieces in 29 x 17 x 33 in, 42 x 23 x 38 in, 31.5 x 21.5 x 34 in
Made with slabs of wave-form fossils found in Eastern Europe from the Jurassic period (formed around 150 million years ago), the material captured a fleeting moment of ocean waves cast on sand and arrested it in an eternal form of sandstone. The multi-planar mirrored stainless-steel base on which the fossils are nestled reflects the surrounding space — rendering the structure itself invisible whereby the waves from the fossils appear to be floating in mid-air. In the space between the three wave-form fossils / stainless steel forms, there exists mirrored reflections of an infinite void.
Untitled, 2016
24K gold gilded on crinoid fossils 300 million years old from Morocco; Dimensions variable (display: 84 x 24 x 48 in)
Fossils are metamorphic materials. Beginning as flesh, they turn to corpse and, eventually, stone. Crinoids are marine animals usually attached to the bottom of the sea and some of the oldest living species. Gold is an element that has undergone various stages of transformation and is thought to have been present in the dust from which the Solar System was formed. In Egyptian, Mayan, Chinese, and other ancient cultures, gold has a metaphysical quality that enables those encased in the material to transit into alternate dimensions. The work consists of crinoid fossils gilded in 24K gold, where the roughness of the primordial objects contrasts with the shimmering patina realized in the gold leaf gilding process, two ancient materials forming a new sculptural object.
Untitled, 2019
Iron meteorite found in Egypt (Gebel Kamil, East Uweinat Desert); 20 x 20 x 3 in
When a star is dying, it begins to produce heavier elements. Our star, the Sun, is a young celestial body, and therefore it mostly produces hydrogen and helium — the lightest elements on the periodic table. As soon as a star starts to produce iron, it explodes and becomes a supernova.
Untitled, 2017
Iron meteorite found in Egypt (Gebel Kamil, East Uweinat Desert); 12 x 3.5 x 3.5 in
