Artist Statement
Archimedes discovered that the lifting force of a body was equal to the gravitational force of the area displaced by the body. This project explores the object and architecture, the single body and the bodies that surround it. The central object references a pillar candle surrounded by its’ holder, the Bobeche. The Bobeche’s function is to protect the hand from melted wax, but here it serves as a separation from the gallery’s floor and a platform to be walked on. When one steps on to the object, footwear is removed to signify the transition from one space to the other. A candle can be lit signifying a presence in the space. The central structure is clad in wax with approximately 600 candles that have the potential to bring light from the exterior to the interior space. The pine floor flexes as one walks around the structure and springs back producing a snapping sound as the paper breathes air while air is traveling through the wall’s cavity. It is an offering of bodies on the outside and bodies on the inside as simple gestures create complex performances.
