The Volcanic Bowl, 2016
Carved volcanic dyke with green gold leaf and gilded bronze element
Height 9.5cm (3 3/4") Width 20.5cm (8 1/8") Depth 16cm (6 1/4")
This work is currently being shown by Adrian Sassoon, London.
This material is a geological detritus, I suppose. It is a material that is a bi-product of the cooling process of diverse materials which have been squeezed out of the vents in the volcanic flues around the forming basalt, causing vitrification of the surface. Polishing has revealed the marble-like quality of this stone due to superheated silica which has met with a rapid cooling. The rhomboidal shape of the sculpture is characteristic of the ‘chrystaline’ behaviour of cooling rock.
The double hemisphere void in the stone was the result of deciding on the most interesting shape within the form. The figure of eight-like shape suggested that a ‘peanut’ form could reside within it which has been the culmination of the process.