January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 72 × 18 × 12 in (183 × 46 × 30 cm). private collection,
Wedge was the first in a series that combined the elevated, stilt-like structures of works such as Triad and the Mantel Arches with the structural principles of my tensegrity, or Brute Series. Unlike the carved marble Wedges of 1975, which predated my tensegrity concerns, here a wedge-shaped piece of granite is suspended within long forged-steel rods that wrap and interlock around the stone. Gravity and the weight of the granite provide the energy—or “glue”—that locks the structure together, continuing my use of stone as an active structural element.
As with titles such as Crimp and Torque, Wedge is deliberately both noun and verb: it identifies the stone form while also describing the action taking place. The granite is literally wedged into the steel structure, making the sculpture both object and action. The work extends my exploration of weight, balance, tension, and visible assembly into a more vertical and architectural form. Several additional Wedge sculptures followed.
January 1981. Granite, steel. Dimensions: 72 × 18 × 12 in (183 × 46 × 30 cm). private collection,
Wedge was the first in a series that combined the elevated, stilt-like structures of works such as Triad and the Mantel Arches with the structural principles of my tensegrity, or Brute Series. Unlike the carved marble Wedges of 1975, which predated my tensegrity concerns, here a wedge-shaped piece of granite is suspended within long forged-steel rods that wrap and interlock around the stone. Gravity and the weight of the granite provide the energy—or “glue”—that locks the structure together, continuing my use of stone as an active structural element.
As with titles such as Crimp and Torque, Wedge is deliberately both noun and verb: it identifies the stone form while also describing the action taking place. The granite is literally wedged into the steel structure, making the sculpture both object and action. The work extends my exploration of weight, balance, tension, and visible assembly into a more vertical and architectural form. Several additional Wedge sculptures followed.
