Monad

"Mask" (1989) by Evan Penny


One truly unique site to visit in Guelph is the sculpture garden at Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, on the university campus. If you ride into town by bus, watch carefully on the right and you can't miss "Ex Ovo Omnia," a white geodesic molecular structure, with a number of subtler sculptures arrayed around it. One of the most famous is "Mask," by Evan Penny, a large concave bronze female face, which, viewed from the street, creates an illusion of being convex.

But my favourite is "Monad," by the same artist, bearing numerous life-size concrete portraits in a steel structure. The artist used the same model for "Mask" and "Monad." A compelling characteristic of the busts is that they are made from varying grades and textures of concrete, so they weather differently. Some have already decayed considerably since the sculpture was erected in 1999. Several have been vandalized. The artist seems to have foreseen this as an integral aspect of the work.

I have posted photos of this sculpture before, but always feel drawn back to see how it has changed, how it appears under different environmental conditions, and how the busts disintegrate over time like a community of live humans.





"Monad" (1999) by Evan Penny


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More shots from the sculpture garden are located in this Flickr gallery.

Sold out

The Waterloo-Wellington Rainbow Chorus concert this Saturday night has officially sold out. Tickets will not be available at the door. The doors will open at 7. The church will be packed. Be sure to arrive early to get a good seat.