December 1995. Bronze. Dimensions: 126 × 72 × 42 in (320 × 183 × 107 cm).
Atlas/Highroller operates on several formal and conceptual levels. The sculpture suggests a human figure shouldering a globe, referencing Atlas, the mythic bearer of the heavens. The large sphere balances precariously on a sweeping arc, creating the sense that it might literally “roll off a high place.” The Highroller of the title extends this instability into the realm of high-stakes gambling—risk, chance, and uncertain consequences.
That sense of risk is heightened by the fact that the globe is a bronze casting of an actual naval sea-mine casing, transforming the image of Earth into a potentially explosive object. By combining the Atlas myth with the precariously balanced mine, I wanted to suggest the environmental risks facing the planet and the extent to which its future rests on our collective choices and behavior.
There were two versions - original granite and steel which was used to cast the entire piece including both the granite in bronze. In 2020-21 during Covid 19 the bronze was cut up to create many new works.
December 1995. Bronze. Dimensions: 126 × 72 × 42 in (320 × 183 × 107 cm).
Atlas/Highroller operates on several formal and conceptual levels. The sculpture suggests a human figure shouldering a globe, referencing Atlas, the mythic bearer of the heavens. The large sphere balances precariously on a sweeping arc, creating the sense that it might literally “roll off a high place.” The Highroller of the title extends this instability into the realm of high-stakes gambling—risk, chance, and uncertain consequences.
That sense of risk is heightened by the fact that the globe is a bronze casting of an actual naval sea-mine casing, transforming the image of Earth into a potentially explosive object. By combining the Atlas myth with the precariously balanced mine, I wanted to suggest the environmental risks facing the planet and the extent to which its future rests on our collective choices and behavior.
There were two versions - original granite and steel which was used to cast the entire piece including both the granite in bronze. In 2020-21 during Covid 19 the bronze was cut up to create many new works.
