November 1992. Pink granite, steel. Dimensions: 15 × 34 × 5 in (38 × 86 × 13 cm). Private collection - Philadelphia
Beam IV is part of a series that brings together my interest in tools, physical balance, and the relationship between rough stone and industrial steel. The title refers to a beam, or balance-beam scale, a tool that has provided an especially appropriate sculptural vehicle because so much of my work deals with weight and balance. Here, part of an actual tool is incorporated into the sculpture, retaining and celebrating the directness of its functional shape while becoming part of a new visual structure.
Although the beam does not move, its off-center fulcrum, elongated steel arm, and granite weight suggest a teetering, precarious balance. Weight, leverage, and counterbalance animate the earthbound materials, making gravity and balance active elements of the work.
November 1992. Pink granite, steel. Dimensions: 15 × 34 × 5 in (38 × 86 × 13 cm). Private collection - Philadelphia
Beam IV is part of a series that brings together my interest in tools, physical balance, and the relationship between rough stone and industrial steel. The title refers to a beam, or balance-beam scale, a tool that has provided an especially appropriate sculptural vehicle because so much of my work deals with weight and balance. Here, part of an actual tool is incorporated into the sculpture, retaining and celebrating the directness of its functional shape while becoming part of a new visual structure.
Although the beam does not move, its off-center fulcrum, elongated steel arm, and granite weight suggest a teetering, precarious balance. Weight, leverage, and counterbalance animate the earthbound materials, making gravity and balance active elements of the work.
