Delighted to have two proposals selected for this years Sculpture in Context, Botanic Gardens, Dublin.
Here's a bit of background behind each of the sculptures featured
Dew Haiku
Dew is often used as a metaphor for impermanence, the silent appearance and gradual fading of life itself. This notion is captured beautifully by haiku, a form of Japenese poetry. One of the most famous haiku written on this theme is one by Issa who, devastated after the loss of his beloved one-year old daughter, lamented:
露の世は露の世ながらさりながら 一茶
This Dewdrop World-
Nothing more, nothing more
And yet... -Issa
Dew is an invisible foil from which daily nourishment to the Gardens comes. This phenomenenon occurs without much recognition, but becomes more obvious with the change of seasons especially as Summer to Autumn. The intention of this piece is to draw attention to this fleeting everyday occurrence & its symbolic associations.
White dewdrops poised at the tips of
grass waving in the autumn wind-
What a fragile, fleeting world - Semimaro, Shinkokinshu
Structure - White’ clay dewdrops and charred wooden posts (shou sugi ban), glass/steel discs. The piece is inspired by the ‘Dew haiku’ which are often written in the form of 3-5-3 symbols (traditionally also 5-7-5). This pattern is reflected in the positioning of the posts and syllabic emphasis in the size of the dewdrops.
Reference http://www.tangdynastytimes.com/2008/09/the-autumn-world-of-dewdrops.html