This installation is inspired by old pendant lamp systems. These pendant lamps consisted of a suspended light, the height of which could be adjusted with a pulley system and a counterweight. This same principle is applied to the sculpture Encyclopédie d’une orogenèse. In this sculpture, a series of porcelain strata representing the topography of a mountain are suspended and kept in balance with a counterweight containing hundreds of letters printed onto porcelain. Ultimately, this installation suggests a kind of metaphorical “landslide” that would suddenly reveal the mechanics of language, the strata of a phenomenon and the geomorphology of a space.
Porcelain, steel structure, nylon rope, hardware, 67 x 26 x 16 inches.
Photo credit : Étienne Dionne