Monad

[vaneramos]

"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





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

Comments

[artricia.livejournal.com]

This strikes a chord.

The concave mask looks weird -- like it's photoshopped in. I imagine the effect's different in person.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Actually the mask really is disconcerting, just stuck there on the hillside, out of proportion to anything around it. Of course seeing it in person you get cues about its form from parallax etc., but I'm glad that the photo communicates its weirdness.

Nice serendipity with your icon!

[willowing.livejournal.com]

excellent images of the sculpture van!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Tam!

[rsc.livejournal.com]

Those certainly look like haunting pieces of sculpture, and your pictures bring that out.

Irreverently enough, I can't help thinking that the guy in the background of the first one is engaged in what signs in Britain delicately call "committing a nuisance".

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Hehe. The sculpture has small plastic windows allowing a view of some contraption inside. He is peering through. But it looks so funny, I couldn't resist including him in a photo.

[missprune.livejournal.com]

I'm glad someone else made that comment! I was struck by it too. But I was worried I'd offend you. The mask is a stunning image.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Thanks, and not worry. Funny comments are allowed!

[ubermunkey.livejournal.com]

ah I love these. I want to try each one on see the world through different eyes.

be well
love
connor

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

There are a few other perspectives here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vaneramos/sets/72057594052427773/

Cheers,
Van