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This was created in response to the Belconnen Artists Network (BeAN) "Summer Challenge" in 2009, which was to creatively interpret, deconstruct or otherwise draw inspiration from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's evocative and richly worded poem Kubla Khan. My inspiration for this work was the lines: "And from this chasm with ceaseless turmoil seething, As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing, A mighty fountain momently was forced:" When I read those words, images of works by Andre Masson and Alfred Kubin were conjured up in my mind's eye and led me to create this. It is by far the most ambitious work I have undertaken, and had I known in advance how much time I would eventually spend on this, I might have thought twice about starting it. But once I got started the challenge became an obsession... This work is made from wood, stainless steel, steel, copper, aluminium, and gesso. All colour in the work - except for the snow is created by heat or chemical patination of the metal. The work is 10 cm wide, 30 cm high and about 5 cm deep. There are about 40 pieces/layers of metal in the work, each individually patinated. These are held together with bolts, all of which are hidden, except for 4 that are part of the design. The lines of the poem that inspired me were laser engraved around the frame by Canberra Trophy Centre Pty Ltd. Collection of the artist. |
