Sculptural Constructions Associated With Isolation

Leonardo, Vol. 12, pp. 4142. Pergamon Press, 1979. Printed in Great Britain. SCULPTURAL CONSTRUCTI0NS ASSOCIATED WITH ISOLATION James Hirschfield* For severalyears isolation has been a primary forceon me as a sculptor. Being alone: it can be feared, it can be desired. It can become an integrated aspect of one’s personality and of one’s life style. I see isolation as providing moments for contemplation and opportunities to build one’s self-assurance. Many of my sculptures are associated with isolation. They are objects that physically isolate viewers in an environment where they are invited to appreciate being alone. I often choose to work with brick. The repetitive modular quality of bricks, I find, is conducive to relaxing the eye. The weight, strength and historical precedeni of brick can give a sense of solidarity and security. In 1975. I constructed a 1lm tall column of brick that meanders from the vertical. It is placed amonga group of pine trees and its form seems to mimic the surrounding conifers. Still, the piece has a quality that should command an admiration of its majesty-for what it is and not for what it resembles. MorerecentlyI built a brick construction with asimilar theme in mind. Hundreds of bricks were laid end to end, row upon row (Fig. 2). In a few areas, bricks, in a slightly cooler white, break the surface. They are meant to represent the vitality of life in an otherwise lifeless assembly of bricks. When people view the piece, they should note. two main focal points of isolation in an otherwise uniform white plane. I intend the piece to convey a feeling for the beauty of isolation. Whereas the two preceding works are intended to be very direct in their statements, my most recent ones are more subtle in their attempts to give a sense of isolation. They are objects built by layingyellow tracing paper over very thin arches of wood (Figs. 3 and 4). Together, the materials form tunnels of various length averaging about 1.8m in height. As one enters a tunnel, one is immersed in an environment of ambient light and sound. The translucent paper is thin enough to allow light to flow through it and thick enough to keep one from seeing clearly through it. As one walks through a tunnel one’s movements cause air currents and strains in the floor that cause the pieceto sway and the paper to make a chorus of Fig. 1. ‘Brick Tree’,sculptural constuction, bricks, mortar, height 1Im, 1975. (Installednear Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A.) *Sculptor, 3600 Wallingford Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98103. Fig. 3. ‘Paper Environments’, environmental sculpture, tracing paper, woodstrips, 2.lm height, 15mlength, 1977. (Exhibition at the Law School, Universityof Oregon,Eugene,Oregon, U.S.A.) U.S.A.(Received 28 April 1978.) 41 42 James Hirschjield rustling paper that I find very pleasant. While inside this environment, unable to see the beginning or end of the tunnel, one is very isolated from the outside world. Together with the quality of light, the gentle rustling of the walls and the aesthetic quality of the deformed paper, ‘there is an ambiance that I believe can ease one’s apprehension of isolation and point towards the more positive aspects of being alone. Fig. 4. Viewof entrance and exit of an environmentalsculpture of the ‘Paper Environments’ series, Exhibition at the Law School, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A.) Fig. 2. ‘Brick landscape’, sculptural construction, bricks, 2.4 x 1Sm,1977. ...