Phillip Shore

The subject of my art is based on the relationship humans have established with the physical world. Wendell Berry, in his 1989 essay Nature as Measure, writes, “But we know too that nature includes us. It is not a place into which we reach from some safe stand point outside it.” This quote speaks to the interconnectedness of all that exists; a concept that permeates this sculpture. Within my work I attempt to reconcile our western understanding of separation and domination of the laws of nature with the quite obvious oneness of the world. The urban and sub-urban environments we have built revolve around our social and economic needs, setting up an ever-increasing level of separation. The grid and geometric designs of these environments are reflections of our need to order. We look on with strange fascination at aboriginal cultures and those who retreat from contemporary society to live in remote locales. The figure, carved into the lower segment of the tree, is a hollow or impression marking the human form, a figure no longer present. The arms of this figure transform into spirals. Doubling back on themselves these spirals ascend the trunk of the tree becoming a double helix, the form of DNA that is shared by all cellular life. The helixes terminate pointing to the leaves of the basswood tree on one side and a pair of bee wings on the other. These carved images are raised rather than hollowed out, as is the human form. The sculpture’s finish is produced naturally through environmental conditions. The basswood or linden tree, from which this sculpture is carved, produces fragrant flowers from which the honeybee makes a highly flavored honey. This relationship between tree, bee and human has existed for millennia and exhibits the wondrous interconnectedness of all life. This relationship will continue if we remain aware and is the origin of the work’s title: Eternal Connections.